Tenchi Trek
by Galaxy1001D
Summary: Join Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi and the crew of the USS Pioneer as they battle the fearsome space pirate, Ryoko! Now with Special Features at the end of the story!
1. Chapter 1

**Tenchi Trek**

"I'm going to bed, Mihoshi," said Tenchi Masaki, an ordinary Japanese boy who discovered the hard way that he is related to the royal family of Jurai, perhaps the most powerful and influential family in the universe. He stretched as he got up from the couch.

"Oh come on, Tenchi," pleaded Mihoshi Kuramitsu, a bronzeskinned blonde woman with large blue eyes and pointed ears. "You said you'd watch the _Star Trek_ marathon with me."

"It's a twenty-four hour marathon, Mihoshi," he protested. "When I said that I'd watch the marathon with you, I didn't mean all twenty-four hours," he chided. "I'm getting some sleep. I've got a full day tomorrow and I suggest that you do the same, okay?"

"Okay, Tenchi," smiled the cheerful Galaxy Police officer. "I'll turn in when this episode is over. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Tenchi smiled as the turned out the light. The living room was illuminated only by the television set as he ascended the stairs. "Don't stay up too late, now!"

Mihoshi waved sleepily back as the boy vanished upstairs. She turned her bleary vision back to the television set and gave the TV what was left of her languid attention. On the screen was a space ship that looked like a disk with two cylinders attached by stalks. Mihoshi giggled. The ship didn't look very sturdy. Heroic music swelled as the ship sped up to the camera and glowing words contrasted against the blackness of space.

_**Star Trek: Pioneer** _

_Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi_

_Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu_

_Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka _

_Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami _

_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi_

_Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone _

_Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito_ _Yosho_

_Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers_

_Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima _

The starship drifted peacefully through space as the awkward voice of Matt K. Miller (or for those of you in Japan, Masami Kikuchi) was heard. "Captain's log, stardate 2007.9, Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi, commanding officer of the _NCC-1992 USS Pioneer_, reporting. We are patrolling along the edge of neutral territory. Our mission: To look for Romulans, doomsday machines, any darn trouble we can get into." As the ship sailed through the emptyness of space, glowing words appeared in the darkness:

_Tenchi Trek _

_By Galaxy1001D _

On the bridge of the _USS Pioneer_, a female humaniod whose skin was covered with brown fur wore the short skirted uniform of a communications officer. Her mane of hair had a blueish gray streak in it and a red gem was in the widows' peak on her forehead. "Meow!" said the communications officer. "Meow! Meow! Meow!"

Lt. Commander Ayeka, the first officer, leaned over to Lt. Kiyone, the chief tactical officer and murmured. "Whose idea was it for Ryo-oh-ki in her adult humaniod form to play the officer in charge of communications?"

"Give me a break," Kiyone retorted quietly. "It was the only position on the ship where she wouldn't have to stand up. You know she's still wobbly on two legs."

At waist level blue words appeared.

_Haruna as Ensign Camille Haruna _

"W-what was that?" choked Ayeka.

"The guest stars," Kiyone whispered to the first officer. "You know that in the beginning of these _Star Trek _episodes the names of the guest stars scroll by at the bottom of the screen."

"Haruna? The girl who kidnapped Tenchi in the third _Tenchi Muyo_ movie? _She's_ a guest star?" asked the purple-haired commander.

"She's more of a semiregular," shrugged Kiyone. Haruna's name vanished to be replaced by another name.

_Sakuya Kumashiro as Petty Officer Suzanne Sakuya _

"Well, it's darn distracting," Ayeka muttered testily.

"Try to ignore it," offered the blue eyed tactical officer.

"All right," the prim and proper first officer sighed.

In the meantime the feline communications officer was still trying to get Ayeka's attention. "Meow!" cried Ryo-oh-ki. "Meow! Meow! Meow!" She pointed at the flashing red light at her comm panel.

Ayeka was still distracted by the words that had now moved to the floor between the captain's chair and the communications console. This time the words said.

_Nobuyuki Masaki _

"What is it?" Lt. Mihoshi asked from the helm controls. "Charades? I love this game!" The blonde helmswoman gave a cheerful grin.

The furry communications officer sighed and took a determined breath. She then started gestureing.

"Okay," giggled Mihoshi. "Two words. Sounds like…"

Ryo-oh-ki fell out of her chair and onto the floor. The name at the bottom of the screen nearly obscured her from veiw.

_Mr. Suvok as Master Chief Suvok _

Ensign Whiskers flailed her arms around in an attempt to banish the words that obscured her charades performance from the bridge.

"Let's see," Mihoshi put a finger on her bottom lip as she studied the feline female's movements. "Sounds like, 'convulsing?' 'Thrashing?' 'Fit?'"

Ryo-oh-ki shook her head furiously since that was not the meaning of her message at all.

"Oh!" squeaked the bronze skinned blonde. "I'm sorry. Sounds like…"

Ryo-oh-ki flopped on the floor and laid still with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.

"Sleep?" Mihoshi guessed. "Tired? Dead?"

The fluffy communications officer sprang to life and put a finger on her nose while pointing at the ditzy helm officer.

At the bottom of the screen another name appeared.

_Tsunami _

"Sounds like 'dead', got it!" Mihoshi grinned proudly.

"Leiutenant Mihoshi, Ensign Whiskers, what are you two doing?" Ayeka snapped irritably.

"Why me?" Kiyone sighed from the weapons console.

"Oh, commander!" Mihoshi turned to the officer seated in the command chair while Ryo-oh-ki struggled to get back in her own chair. "E-ensign Whiskers wishes to report something!"

"Well, what is it?" Ayeka snapped testily. "I haven't got all day!"

"Meow! Meow! Meow!" futilely said the communications officer.

The first officer's face nearly became as purple as her hair. "Errg!" she groaned. "Get me a communications officer who's fluent in basic Star Fleet Galactic English right now!"

"Grrr phttt!" hissed Ryo-oh-ki, baring her fangs.

"Don't give me any of that, ensign, or I'll put you down for insubordination!" Ayeka snapped.

"Ohh," groaned a mortified Kiyone. She glanced down at her weapons panel. It would be so easy to launch a photon torpedo without opening the gunnery hatch in the outer hull. The explosion would probably kill everyone on the top decks instantly and all of her problems would cease…

At that moment, the turbolift doors at the back of the bridge opened and in stepped Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi, the commanding officer of the _USS Pioneer_. Although the captain looked more like a young cadet that a seasoned Star Fleet officer none on the bridge was fooled by his naïve and innocent façade. Accompanying him was Science Officer Washu, thought of by many to be the greatest scientist in Star Fleet.

"Captain on the bridge," Ayeka stood up from the command chair and snapped to attention. The other officers on the bridge stood up at their consoles too.

Ensign Whiskers was stuggling mightily as her knees wobbled beneath her. She meowed pitifully as she fell to her knees and clutched her comm panel for dear life.

"Oh, let me help you," Mihoshi left her console to assist Ryo-oh-ki's valiant struggle to stand at attention.

"Mihoshi," Kiyone hissed from the tactical console. "What are you doing?"

"There you go, Ensign Whiskers," Mihoshi smiled as he held on to the furry woman's arms and shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Meow," Ryo-oh-ki nodded.

"Mihoshi," Kiyone growled. "Get back to your post! What are you doing?"

"Hey, its okay," said Captain Tenchi. "She's just helping out a shipmate, that's all."

"But Captain," insisted Kiyone. "If Leiutenant Mihoshi is at Ensign Whiskers' station, then who's steering the ship?"

Everyone on the bridge cried out as the floor lurched underneath them. Outside in the blackness of space the starship sideswiped a large boulder like object.

"Damage report!" said the captain as he picked himself off the floor. "Is everyone all right?"

A chorus of female voices answered at once. "I'm good." "I'm okaaay!" "I am unhurt, Captain." "Meow!"

"Captain," said Ayeka slyly. "Ensign Whiskers seems unable to stand on her own. Maybe she better go to sick bay and have the doctors take a look at her?"

Tenchi glanced over at communications. While everyone else had managed to stand up and dust themselves off, Ensign Whiskers was climbing up her communciations console as if she was unused to standing on two feet.

"Hmm, I think you're right, Ayeka," Tenchi nodded. "Ensign Whiskers, you are releived from duty. Go check into sick bay, that's an order."

"Meow!" A stricken Ryo-oh-ki clutched the communications console and shook her head fiercely. "Meow! Meow! Meow!"

"Now Ensign Whiskers, its for your own good," Tenchi insisted.

"Listen to the Captain, Ensign," smirked Ayeka. "Go down to sick bay. You may return to the bridge when you are fit for duty."

Whiskers hissed spitefully at the first officer.

"Now come on Whiskers, we're worried about you," Tenchi insisted. "We all want what's best, don't we?"

"C'mon, Skipper," Mihoshi pleaded. "Give her another chance! She'll be all right, really she will."

Tenchi put his arms abound the communications officer's waist and pulled in a futile effort to extract her from the console. Ryo-oh-ki's fingernails were as sharp and as durable as a lion's claws and were sunk into the console. The feline female cried piteously as the captain struggled to remove her from the bridge.

"Come-ON!" he grunted. "It's not so bad to go to sick bay! The're not going to hurt you or anything!"

"Meow! Meow! Meow!" cried the communications officer, shaking her head violently. No matter how hard Tenchi pulled, the fluffy ensign refused to budge. Her back stretched an extra foot as he tugged on her legs but when he let go, she snapped back to normal and sat back in her chair.

"Oh all right," Tenchi sighed in defeat. "You can stay for a little while."

"Ahem," Science Officer Washu cleared her throat. "What's that light blinking on the communications console, Captain Tenchi?"

"What?" the befuddled Captain blinked. "It's a distress signal! Whiskers, put it on the screen.

"Meow!" said the communications officer, glad that finally _someone_ understood what she was trying to say.

On the main viewscreen was the stars of the night sky. At the push of a button, the stars vanished to and the face of a rather harried individual on a starship bridge replaced it. The man was almost forty, with broad shoulders and a pencil thin mustache. The eyeglasses he wore revealed his allergy to Retanix Five, a medication that cured most vision impairments. "This is Captain Nobuyuki of the _S.S. Brandy_," he shouted. "We have been attacked by the space pirate Ryoko and request immediate assistance!"

"Uh!" croaked Ayeka.

"Oh!" gasped Mihoshi.

"Ooh!" exclaimed Kiyone.

"Meow?" asked a confused Ensign Whiskers.

"Hmm," Science Officer Washu crossed her arms and stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"Whiskers, open a channel," ordered Captain Tenchi. "This is Captain Tenchi of the _USS Pioneer_ responding to your distress call Captain Nobuyuki! Hang in there! We're on our way!" He turned to Lt. Mihoshi. "Mihoshi, plot an intercept course with the source of the distress signal and then accelerate to maximum warp!"

"Aye, aye, Captain," Mihoshi nodded. "Signal locked on, course plotted out, we can reach it in a half hour at warp nine, sir."

"Okay then," Tenchi nodded. "Warp nine, engage the warp drive."

The _Pioneer_ sped away and vanished in a fury of expensive digital effects.

_Next: Shuttlecraft Okuda _


	2. Shuttlecraft Okuda

**Tenchi Trek**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Two: Shuttlecraft Okuda _

In the far reaches of space, the _USS Pioneer _sped through the cosmos at warp nine. The dilating forces of the ship's faster than light speed blurred the stars around it. The twin nacelles of the saucer shaped craft created a 'warp bubble' that in effect allowed the ship to travel faster than Albert Einstein thought possible. Inside, Captain James Tenchi made a log update.

"Captain's Log, supplemental. We are responding to a distress signal from the _SS Brandy_. The captain of the _Brandy _claims to have been attacked by the space pirate Ryoko, one of the most dangerous criminals in known space."

"Approaching the _Brandy_, now sir," Kiyone announced from the tactical station. "She has taken damage sir. Moderate damage to her port nacelle. She's operating at minimum power."

"Cut to sublight engines," the youthful captain ordered. "Washu, is the space pirate still in the area?"

Washu looked up from the hooded viewer at her station. "Nope. Looks like Ryoko skedaddled before we arrived."

"Keep active scans up just in case," Tenchi nodded. "Ensign Whiskers, hail the _Brandy_."

The _Pioneer _slowed to impulse speed and the stars returned to the infinite night sky associated with outer space. The Federation starship approached the _Brandy _and the ungainly block-like spacecraft was displayed on the main viewscreen.

"It's a commercial freighter registered with the Sirius Sake Company." Washu announced. "A standard J-class freighter with only navigational deflectors for defense. She didn't stand a chance against the space pirate Ryoko."

"I concur," Kiyone announced from tactical. "She doesn't seem to have any special modifications on her."

"Meow!" said the furry communications officer. "Meow! Meow! Meow!"

"What is it, Ensign Whiskers?" Mihoshi asked the furry female. "Are they responding?"

"Meow! Meow!" Whiskers nodded her head vigorously.

"Put them on the screen." Ayeka ordered from her place at the engineering subsystem console.

The freighter on the screen vanished to be replaced with an image from the interior of the spacecraft. Captain Nobuyuki's bespectacled face grinned with relief. "Starship _Pioneer_! Thank goodness you've come! We've been robbed!"

"My staff and I will take a shuttle over and survey the damages," Tenchi announced. "Then you can fill me in on the details when I arrive."

"Okay then!" grinned Nobuyuki. "See you here! _Brandy_, out." The captain of the Brandy vanished from the screen and his spacecraft appeared on the viewscreen once more.

Science Officer Washu cleared her throat. "Ahem. Shuttle? With all due respect sir, wouldn't it be easier to use the transporter?"

"Washu, that's mean!" scolded Ayeka. "You know how the captain feels about the transporter!"

"He's got to get over it sooner or later," Washu insisted.

Tenchi thought that he would die from embarrassment. From the looks of things, Kiyone felt the same way. He didn't need this to undermine his authority.

Mihoshi, however, just made a bad thing worse. "Hey, its okay, Captain," she assured him. "I'm nervous about the transporter beam too, but it really is the safest way to travel. Why, there hasn't been a really _bad _transporter accident in six years, well, no accident that caused a fatality anyway…" Mihoshi looked up at the ceiling while tapping her bottom lip with a forefinger. "The last really _big_ transporter accident, well, aside of yours, zapped a group of Starfleet officers to a parallel dimension where everyone was evil…and before that the captain of the _Enterprise_ was split into two people…Then of course there was the time that two people got combined into one…of course they managed to put things right in the end…"

"Shut up, Mihoshi before I put you on report!" Ayeka snapped. How dare Mihoshi humiliate the captain like that!

"Er, its okay, Ayeka," Tenchi held up his hand to his first officer. "I just don't want to get to the _Pioneer_ too close to the _Brandy_ until we can assess the damage. If its warp core explodes I don't want to place any more Starfleet personnel in danger than necessary."

"Oh, of course, Captain," smiled a relieved Ayeka.

"Nice save," muttered Washu crossing her arms.

Tenchi cleared his throat nervously and attempted to regain his professionalism. "Okay, Ayeka, assemble an away team with minimum personnel. I'll be leading it, because I want to talk to Captain Nobuyuki personally."

"Very good, Captain," Ayeka nodded with all the formality of an English butler.

In the shuttlebay, Tenchi and his officers prepared to travel to the _Brandy_. Once he had boarded the shuttle, Captain James Tenchi paused to make a log update.

"Captain's Log, supplemental. We are preparing to take the shuttlecraft _Okuda_ to the _Brandy_. Accompanying me are Science Officer Washu, Chief Surgeon Yosho, Tactical Officer Kiyone and Lieutenant Mihoshi." He ended his log entry and glanced around the _Okuda_'s interior. "Okay everyone, are we ready to go?"

Everyone nodded or responded in the affirmative. In front of them, the clamshell doors of the shuttlebay opened to reveal the infinite reaches of space. The stars looked like diamonds against a black velvet tapestry.

Kiyone looked up from the copilot's panel. "Captain, Shuttlecraft control has given us permission to leave the shuttlebay."

"Very well," Tenchi nodded. "Lieutenant Mihoshi, take us out."

"Okay, Mihoshi," Kiyone said quietly. "Just take us out nice and slow, all right?"

"Hmm?" Mihoshi looked up from filing her nails. "Oh, you worry too much Kiyone," she grinned with a slightly vacant look in her eyes. "I'll get us there nice and safe, you'll see!"

Kiyone turned her head to the windows in front of them so the captain wouldn't have to see the grimace on her face and the huge drop of sweat trickle down from her temple.

"Ohh-kay," Mihoshi started pressing buttons. "Now how do you fly this thing?"

Sweat drops appeared on the heads of the rest of the shuttles occupants.

"Oh!" Mihoshi chirped. "Here we go!"

When Mihoshi pilots the shuttle, everyone wears his or her seatbelt. As the craft lurched backwards, everyone was flung forwards against their restraints as the inertial compensators struggled to make up for the unexpected momentum. The flight was cut short when a loud crashing sound was heard and everyone was pressed against his or her seat.

"Oops!" Mihoshi flicked a switch and a small monitor on her panel displayed the rear view. Shuttlecraft _Okuda_ had collided with a small workpod that was used to crawl on the outside of the ship to make repairs. Now it would be the workpod that would need repairing. "I'll bet that was expensive," she shrugged at Kiyone sheepishly.

The Chief Tactical Officer was sputtering in incoherent rage and was unable to form any words.

"Don't worry," Mihoshi smiled at her. "I've got it this time!" Her fingers found the sliding bar on the touch sensitive panel before her. "Okay! Rockets are go!" she exclaimed, quoting the slogan from the science fiction show _Captain Constellation._

The _Okuda_ left the _Pioneer_'s shuttlebay and soared through the endless sky.

"Wow!" Mihoshi gushed. "Outer space is really something, huh? It just goes on and on. It's so vast and infinite! It really makes me feel tiny and insignificant!" She turned her head to address Lt. Kiyone. "Of course, I always feel tiny and insignificant! That was a joke! Wasn't it funny, Kiyone?"

"Look where you're going!" Kiyone snapped.

Mihoshi's spirits refused to be dampened. "You know Kiyone, you worry too much!" The bronze skinned blonde waggled a finger at the tactical officer to emphasize her point. "Even commercial vessels like the _Brandy_ have homing beacons in their shuttlebays to assist launches and shuttles with docking procedures! As soon as the _Okuda_ detects the homing beacon, the computer will take over and we will dock up with the _Brandy_, safe and sound!"

"You're right, Mihoshi," Kiyone breathed. "Sorry for overreacting." The teal-haired lieutenant checked her sensor panel as the shuttle approached the freighter. "Wait! I'm not reading the homing beacon! What happened the homing beacon?"

"Gee Kiyone," Mihoshi put her forefinger on her bottom lip in thought. "Do you think that it was damaged when the pirates attacked?"

The chief medical officer was an old man whose spectacles also revealed an allergy to Retanix Five. He was dressed in the white robes with medical insignia standard to medical doctors rather than the regulation Starfleet uniform. "Dramamine, anyone?" Doctor Yosho offered as he fumbled in his medical pouch.

"Oh boy…" Washu sighed.

"Mihoshi!" choked Tenchi. "Full stop! Put the deflector up on the front arc and intensify the shuttle's inertial dampeners and structural integrity field!"

"Aaaaah!" Everyone except Doctor Yosho screamed as the shuttle collided with the freighter.

_Next: Aboard the __Brandy_


	3. Aboard The Brandy

**Tenchi Trek**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Three: Aboard The Brandy_

In a corridor aboard the injured freighter, the _SS Brandy_, Tenchi apologized to Nobuyuki, the _Brandy_'s skipper. "I'm terribly sorry about the damages, Captain Nobuyuki. Starfleet's insurance will cover it."

"That's alright, son," replied the older man. "Tell your captain that the space pirate already banged us up anyway."

"Um," Tenchi stammered. "I'm the captain. I'm Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi of the _Pioneer_."

"You're kidding!" exclaimed the bespectacled merchant captain. "I really couldn't see you very well over the static on our viewscreen, but I thought you were a junior communications officer. You're so young!"

"Actually, I'm forty-seven," Tenchi looked away in embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh!" Nobuyuki's mind searched for an explanation. "What happened? Did you go through a time warp or something?"

"No, there was a…transporter accident…" Tenchi blushed.

"I thought it was something like that," Nobuyuki nodded. "I had a cousin who was in a transporter accident. The silly thing shrunk him down to six inches! Six inches! It took the scientists over a month to figure out how to safely turn him back. Boy, those transporters are sure something, huh?"

"I guess so…" Tenchi still couldn't meet the other man's gaze.

"So are you still aging, or are you immortal?" Nobuyuki seemed to have completely forgotten that a space pirate robbed his ship that then suffered a collision with a Starfleet shuttle.

"Oh, I'm still aging," Tenchi met Nobuyuki's gaze and nodded. "I've grown two inches since the accident happened last year. I suppose I could have taken the risk to see if I could be turned back…"

"Why do that when you're thirty years younger?" Nobuyuki smiled wistfully. "Boy I wish that I had your problem. To have the body of a horny teenager while possessing the experience of a full grown man, that would be the life!"

"You don't understand!" Tenchi didn't mean to shout, but the other man's comments had struck a chord. "Most of my senior officers are beautiful women! It's torture to have my hormones so out of control!" He stopped himself before he said any more.

"Most of your officers are beautiful women?" Nobuyuki slapped Tenchi on the back good-naturedly. "You lucky dog, you!"

Tenchi turned his back to Nobuyuki so that the other captain wouldn't have to see him cry.

Just then, Lieutenant Kiyone, the _Pioneer_'s teal-haired tactical officer, approached them. "Its amazing, sir. The entire cargo bay has been cleaned out. The entire cargo has been taken."

"What was your cargo anyhow, Captain?" Tenchi asked.

"Alcoholic beverages," the man replied. "Sake from Earth, lager from Tellar, brandy from Sauria, that sort of thing."

"Hmm," Kiyone held her elbow and put her hand on her chin in thought. "Who would need an entire cargo hold of alcoholic beverages?"

At that moment, light-years away in outer space, a brown spiky spaceship with a reddish pink sphere in its center floated peacefully at sublight speed. Inside was a tall woman with wild greenish white hair. She lounged in a chair that had no legs; it did not even touch the floor of the bridge. She wore a white dress with red leggings and a jacket with green and gold sleeves. On the floor were several bottles, both full and empty. The woman was sipping from a bottle while singing off key. "Sixteen men on a dead man's chest…Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum…"

Back aboard the _Brandy_, Tenchi started giving out orders. "Okay, run a check on the interplanetary trade index to see if any planets have a high demand for booze."

"It's a long shot," Kiyone nodded, "but we have to check all possibilities, I guess. I'll also check the database for any sentient life forms that use fermented sugar as a food source."

Soon the officers of the _Pioneer _were back on their shuttle and on their way back to their ship.

"I'm happy to say that no one was injured," the elderly Doctor Yosho said. "It seems that we have a very conscientious pirate."

"That's right," the redheaded Washu nodded. "Damage to the _Brandy_ was minimal. Life support was functioning perfectly, and there was no damage to any inhabited decks. Ryoko disabled the freighter with the skill of a brain surgeon."

"I detected an unusual residual frequency in the cargo bay," Kiyone reported. "My guess is that the pirates used a unique transporter to steal the cargo."

"A flawless snatch and grab," Tenchi nodded.

Suddenly, as the shuttlecraft _Okuda_ approached the _Pioneer_'s shuttlebay, Mihoshi shouted, "Captain! Captain! All the stars have gone out!"

"Mihoshi, you idiot, you leaned on the button!" Kiyone snapped. "Turn the viewscreen back on before we collide with the ship!"

"It's okay, Kiyone," Washu assured her. "Once we get within half a kilometer to the _Pioneer_ the main ship will take over the shuttle and guide the _Okuda_ in with tractor beams."

"Phew!" the teal haired officer exhaled. "That's a relief! For a minute there, I thought that Lieutenant Mihoshi was going to crash us again!"

"I'll get the viewscreen going again!" Mihoshi happily pushed a button on her control panel.

"Mihoshi!" Kiyone cried. "That's turbothruster control!"

The occupants of the shuttle screamed as the _Okuda_ tore loose of the gentle tractor beams and zoomed into the _Pioneer_'s shuttlebay. A huge crash was heard.

Later, the senior officers returned to the bridge.

"Well, at least no one was seriously hurt," Mihoshi smiled, patting her arm that was in a sling.

"Yeah," Kiyone grimaced. "Doctor Yosho says I should be able to remove this neck brace in a few hours."

"Its great that medical science can repair sprained and broken bones so easily these days," Mihoshi giggled. "Why, in my father's day it would be _ten days_ before he could take this sling off."

"Captain Tenchi—yeek!" First Officer Ayeka was taken aback to see her beloved captain with his leg in a cast.

"I'm fine, Ayeka," he assured her. "Doc Yosho says I'll be able to remove this cast in an hour or two."

"You don't itch anywhere, do you, Captain?" Mihoshi asked him, totally ignoring the horrified face and frantic gestures of Lt. Kiyone. "Once I had a cast on my finger, and _boy_ did it itch! It drove me crazy, so don't think about scratching anywhere, 'cause it will drive you _nuts_!"

The captain responded with a quiet whimper and an agonized look on his face.

"Lieutenant Mihoshi!" Ayeka glowered as she pointed to the helm station. "Get back to your station and speak only when you have something relevant to report!"

"Okaay, aye-aye, ma'am," Mihoshi tried to maintain her cheerful demeanor as she scampered to the flight controls.

"Are you all right, Tenchi?" Ayeka gently asked, forgetting to address him by his title.

"I'm…fine," he lied as he limped stiffly to his captain's chair.

"Good news, Captain," Science Officer Washu announced from the science console. "I've detected a faint ion trail that doesn't match any known spacecraft. I'm betting it's the pirate ship!"

"Good job, Washu," Tenchi smiled. "Mihoshi, follow that ion trail. We may still be able to track Ryoko before he gets away!"

"Aye-aye, sir!" the blonde responded.

"Warp one, engage!" the captain ordered.

Once again, the _Pioneer_ disappeared into the distance in a flurry of special effects.

_Next: In Pursuit of a Pirate_


	4. In Pursuit of a Pirate

**Tenchi Trek**

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Four: In Pursuit of a Pirate_

"Captain's log, Stardate 2007.92, we are in pursuit of the space pirate Ryoko, one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy. I have assembled my senior officers in the conference room for a briefing on this most wanted criminal."

At the head of the table, Captain Tenchi looked around at his department heads. The darling Ayeka, his purple haired first officer, was at his right. Seated next to her was Lt. Commander Yosho, the elderly chief medical officer who taught Tenchi melee combat during their free time. Across the table from the doctor was Lt. Mihoshi, the _Pioneer_'s beautiful, blonde, and empty-headed chief helmswoman. Seated on Tenchi's left was Lt. Kiyone, the _Pioneer_'s attractive teal-haired chief tactical officer. At the other end of the table was the chief science officer, the emerald-eyed Lt. Washu from the planet Chousin. The inhabitants of Chousin were known throughout the Federation for their amazing intelligence and their short stature. At four feet two inches height, Washu was considered tall for a woman from her planet.

Washu was standing before a television monitor on the wall that could project three-dimensional objects on its screen. On the screen was an image of a brown spiky object with a red sphere in the center. As the green-eyed redhead began her presentation, other images appeared in windows on the screen to illustrate her points.

"The space pirate known as 'Ryoko' appeared recently on the scene. In the last two years, the pirates' targets have been banks, casinos, and freighters. The starships _Yamato_ and _Okinawa_ tangled with them on Stardate 1996.5 and were disabled, the pirate ship escaping with minimal damages. So far, the pirate known as 'Ryoko' has caused no fatalities…"

At that moment, a childlike female voice was heard over the intercom. "Captain Tenchi, we have detected a spacecraft at long range. It's warp signature matches the ship used by the space pirate Ryoko."

The captain leapt up from his seat, "Excuse me, Washu, but your presentation is going to have to wait. Let's get to the bridge everyone!"

On the bridge, junior officers vacated their seats as the captain and his senior officers exited the elevator and took their positions. The last crewman to leave the bridge was a little girl with blue hair, freckles on the bridge of her nose and two tiny triangles on her forehead.

"Sound general quarters!" said Tenchi. "Put us on red alert!" A blaring klaxon was heard throughout the ship.

"Aagh, that sound is horrible!" complained Ayeka from her seat at the engineering/power allocation console. "Can't we just have the flashing red lights without the noise?"

"I think the noise makes it more exciting!" Mihoshi chirped from the helm station. "It sounds like we're the police chasing a dangerous criminal! What do you think, Kiyone?"

Kiyone glanced up from the readings at her tactical station and turned to Mihoshi. "I think that you should zip it and let me do my job!"

The captain was doing his best to ignore the unprofessional behavior and stay in character. He hit a button on his chair and made an announcement heard on intercoms all throughout the ship. "Battle stations! All hands to battle stations! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill! All hands to battle stations!" He looked up to the screen. "Kill the klaxon." Mercifully, the irritating siren stopped. "Now begin the exciting _Star Trek_ music." Tense music by Dennis McCarthy could be heard on the bridge. "ETA to the pirate ship, Mihoshi?"

"Well, we should be there anytime, now…" said ditzy helmswoman. "They're not really trying to get away you know…"

"Argh," Tenchi silently cursed. "Kiyone?"

"About twenty seconds," she replied.

"Okay, shields up, arm photon torpedoes and stand by to fire! We may only have one chance at this, people! Let's be careful and be ready for anything! Washu, what's the status on the bandit?"

"The pirates are just sitting out there, drifting at sublight speed," the short scientist replied.

"What?" Tenchi started. "No evasive maneuvers? Are they scanning us?"

"Nope." Washu shook her head. "They aren't scanning us. It's as if they didn't know we're here."

"Intensive scan," Tenchi responded. "How many life signs?"

"It's hard to tell," Washu peered into her hooded viewer. "The ship is shielded to resist interior scans, but I am getting one faint life sign."

"One?" Tenchi blinked.

"Yup," Washu nodded. "Just the one. And a faint one to boot."

Doctor Yosho, who had been standing near the elevator, smiled. "Well, It doesn't look like that ship is going to cause us any trouble."

Naturally, Mihoshi couldn't stop herself from speaking. "Gee, maybe they all went to a wedding and left the dog at home. What do you think, Kiyone?"

"I think we've got both a mystery and an opportunity here," the teal-haired tactical officer replied. "What do you think, Captain?"

"I think you're right," he nodded. "Let's board that ship and see what we can see. Mihoshi, you've got the conn. The rest of you, follow me."

Tenchi, Ayeka, Yosho, Washu, and Kiyone entered the turbolift elevator.

"Transporter room one," Washu said as she gripped a handle on the side of the car.

"Umm, Lieutenant Washu?" said the captain. "Aren't we going to the shuttlebay?"

"It's quicker and safer on an op like this to simply use the transporter and beam over," the little science officer retorted. "You've got to get over your phobia of the transporter sooner or later, Captain."

Ayeka gasped at Washu's impertinence.

"I don't have a phobia, I just…would rather use a shuttle that's all." Tenchi didn't look her in the eye as he rubbed the back of his neck self self-consciously.

"You've been avoiding the transporter ever since your accident," Washu snapped. "Lots of people don't like the transporter, but you can't let it affect your job!"

Tenchi's cheeks were burning as Doctor Yosho slapped him on the back and smiled. "It's all right. I don't like the transporter either. Having all my molecules taken apart and put back together isn't my idea of fun."

Tenchi sighed as the doors opened and Washu continued her spiel. "Relax. The entire system has been upgraded and replaced since your accident. Crewmen use it every day without any complaints…"

"Upgrades?" he asked as they walked out of the elevator and down the hall to the transporter room. "Does that mean that there's more complex mechanisms that can go wrong?"

"No…" Washu shook her head and her voice sounded as if she was trying to reassure a child. "No, no, no, no!" The doors to the transporter room hissed open. "It's so easy, even a child can operate it!"

"I'm only eight and a half years old!" Midshipman Sasami, a cute little girl with her long blue hair in ponytails smiled from behind the podium that held the transporter controls. "Everybody ready to beam over? Get on the little circles!"

"Ohhh…" Tenchi groaned and streams of water trickled out of his eyes when he saw the juvenile transporter operator. Kiyone opened up a locker and passed out weapons and equipment to her fellow officers.

When everyone had their tricorders, phasers and communicators, they walked over to the platform across from the control podium and positioned themselves on the transporter pads.

Despite his science officer's assurances, Tenchi's stomach still hurt as he looked at the tiny transporter officer. She was so little that she had to stand on tiptoes to activate the controls. All he could see was her huge pink eyes and her long blue ponytails, the rest of her was hidden behind the podium. An awkward silence descended in the room until he felt Ayeka nudge him.

"Um, energize…" he croaked. Now Tenchi could see her tiny little hands darting across the controls. As the room before him vanished, Tenchi used the hum of the transporter to mask a whimper.

The silence aboard the strange vessel was broken as the five officers appeared in a shower of fairy-like sparks. The interior of the pirate ship was predominately browns and whites, with ribbed walls that spoke of heavy structural reinforcement.

Tenchi breathed as sigh of relief and started giving orders. "Okay, Ayeka, take Washu and find the engineering deck; Kiyone and Yosho, you're with me." He pulled his phaser pistol out of its holster and checked the corridor.

"Um, Captain Tenchi?" Ayeka tapped the captain on the shoulder to get his attention. When he turned to answer her, she asked, "Do you think it was a good idea to leave Lieutenant Mihoshi in charge while we're gone?"

"Sure, don't worry so much," he smiled. "Lieutenant Mihoshi is a capable officer. I'm sure the ship is in good hands. She won't be surprised by anything. I'll bet she's keeping the scanners peeled for trouble right now."

At that moment on the bridge of the _Pioneer_, Mihoshi was examining a slender blonde doll.

"Wow, you are so right, Sasami," the blonde gushed to the tiny transporter chief. "This Malibu Barbie doll really does look like me!"

Back on the pirate ship, the crew split up into two teams. Yosho took out a small black, rectangular object about the size of box of nasal tissues. A marvel of Starfleet technology, the tricorder could act as a portable sensor unit, computer, and communications device in one. Yosho turned a dial and pressed some buttons on the gadget, and a high-pitched whine was heard. "I'm reading a life sign in this direction. Humanoid. The sign is very faint. Perhaps barely alive. This way."

The captain and Kiyone nodded and followed the doctor as he held his tricorder before him like a divining rod. They held their phasers with both hands and scanned the corridor for threats.

"Hmm," Yosho's foot kicked a dark glass bottle. "What is this?"

Kiyone knelt down and examined it. She read the label and sniffed the mouth of the dark bottle. "Andorian rum. An empty bottle of Andorian rum."

Tenchi was ten feet up the hall picking up a second empty bottle. "Wine. Château Picard circa 2262 by the label."

"'Wee Bairns' brand Scotch whiskey from Earth," said Yosho as he picked up yet a third bottle. He held it upside down and shook a few drops out of it. "Looks like someone had a party."

They followed the trail of empty bottles down the hall and up a flight of stairs. Presently they came to a large chamber whose transparent domed ceiling gave an unobstructed view of the stars. There didn't seem to be any stations for a crew. Hanging in the air were faceted grey-blue crystals that floated in the room without any visual means of support. The floor was covered in empty bottles of various alcoholic beverages from around the galaxy. A few full bottles were underneath a legless chair that floated off the ground and held an unconscious woman. Her greenish white hair was a mess, but her large ears were still visible enough to betray her extraterrestrial origins. A white dress with red leggings hung on her lanky frame. On her torso, a jacket with green and gold sleeves was hung open to reveal the white cleavage of her heaving bosom. Her face was blushing as she snored loudly. The woman's mouth hung open so that her teeth could be seen. The incisors were so long and pointy that they resembled the fangs of a cat—or a vampire.

"How is she?" Tenchi asked as Doctor Yosho took readings with his medical tricorder.

"Her blood alcohol level is beyond belief!" the bespectacled doctor retorted. "If I didn't know better, I'd think this woman attempted to party herself to death."

"She must have been a girlfriend to one of the pirates," Kiyone murmured, "and was left behind when they abandoned ship."

"Wow, smell the breath on this woman," said Tenchi, leaning over to smell at her mouth. "It could be used as a disinfectant."

"Whu?" The woman's bleary eyes opened to reveal two golden pupils. She squinted as she attempted to take in her surroundings. "Whu…where am I?"

"Are you all right?" Tenchi asked softly, his face still at an intimate proximity to hers.

"This woman is so inebriated, I don't know what's keeping her alive," said Doctor Yosho. "Captain, with your permission, I'd like to take her back to the _Pioneer_'s sick bay."

"Who…who are you?" the woman asked weakly, her eyes never leaving Tenchi's. She looked so helpless, like a big-eared pointy-toothed damsel in distress, even if she did dress like a nightclub singer.

"Tenchi," said the captain. "I'm James Tenchi; my ship is the _Pioneer_." He spoke gently and caressed her sweating brow. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you. We're taking you to sick bay. Everything is going to be fine."

"Thank…uh!" She passed out again. This time her mouth was almost closed, her lips pursed as if expecting a kiss.

"She looks so helpless, so darling," Tenchi mused.

The unconscious woman chose that moment to let out a loud obnoxious burp.

"Hard to believe she's a doxy," shrugged Kiyone.

"Transporter room? This is Yosho," the medical officer spoke to his communicator. "Beam myself and one female patient directly to sick bay. Yosho out." The doctor closed his communicator and bent over to place a transponder on the comatose woman so the transporter could lock onto her.

"Let us know if she regains consciousness," said Tenchi. "So far she's our best clue to the whereabouts of the space pirates and their leader, Ryoko."

"Can do, Jim," Yosho nodded. The medical doctor and the mysterious woman disappeared in a pattern of sparks as the whine of the transporter filled the room.

_Next: Two to Beam Up_


	5. Two to Beam Up

**Tenchi Trek**

_By Galaxy1001D_

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu **_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka**_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone**_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Five: Two to Beam Up_

On board the starship _Pioneer_, Midshipman Sasami asked Lt. Mihoshi for a favor. "Could you watch the transporter controls for me, Mihoshi? I have to go to the bathroom."

"Sure, Sasami," said Mihoshi sweetly. "Just leave it me!"

Aboard the pirate ship, Tenchi fiddled with his tricorder to update the mission log. "Captain's Log, supplemental: Searching the pirate ship has turned up one female passenger, barely alive, and the cargo of the Sirius Sake Company ship _SS Brandy_. Almost fifty percent of the _Brandy_'s cargo has been emptied or consumed, possibly by the pirates. There is no sign of the crew, or their mysterious leader Ryoko."

Tenchi, Ayeka, Kiyone and Washu met up in the cargo hold of the mysterious craft.

First Officer Lydia Ayeka gave her report. "Captain Tenchi, we have searched this ship from top to bottom, and the ship is clear. No sign of a crew. Not even personal effects."

Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone chimed in. "Comparing the _Brandy_'s manifest with the empty bottles found on the command deck confirms that the booze came from the _Brandy_ all right. Only half of the _Brandy_'s cargo is here in the hold. The rest has apparently been drunk."

Science Officer Washu was giddy with excitement. "I've never seen a warp system set up like this! Instead of using a deutronium/antimatter drive, the warp core is a singularity! Whoever invented this, must be…THE GREATEST GENIUS IN THE UNIVERSE!"

"Knock it off," Ayeka gave the redhead's shoulder a gentle slap. "You're a Federation science officer in this story, not a goddess masquerading as a mad scientist!"

Washu let out a sigh of disappointment. "Oh…yeah. Well, at least I'm as smart as Spock, right?"

"Yes-yes-yes," Ayeka waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, you're the science officer, so you're as smart as Spock."

"'Cause I don't want to be just a pretty face like Subcommander T'pol, ya know," Washu wagged her finger as if scolding a child. "Spock and Data were geniuses, but T'pol was just a junkie who got knocked up by the redneck engineer!"

"Washu!" Ayeka gasped in horror. "How dare you say that on the air!"

"Even Dax was pretty smart, at least until she was played by the short gal," Washu droned on. "Have you noticed that on these _Star Trek_ shows, women my height are _supposed_ to be smart, but aren't? At least, not as smart as Spock and Data…"

"All right!" Ayeka cried. "You're smarter than both Spock and Data all right? You're smarter than Spock and Data after they've both taken smart pills and attended the most prestigious colleges in the universe, all right?"

"Good," smiled Washu, putting her hands on her hips. "I just wanted to make sure."

"Could you two just try to stay in character?" Tenchi snapped.

"Yeah," Kiyone added. "Quit wrecking it for the rest of us!"

"Sorry," Ayeka and Washu chorused.

Washu crossed her arms. "Captain, with your permission I'd like to stay on board to examine the ship."

"Sure," he nodded. "We'll send a scanning team to assist you and make sure there are no pirates hiding in a shielded bulkhead or something."

"I'll stay with Washu until they arrive," Kiyone offered.

"Okay, Ayeka and I will return to the _Pioneer_." Tenchi pulled out his communicator. "Tenchi to _Pioneer_, two to beam up. Bring up Ayeka and myself."

"Okey-dokey captain," Mihoshi's voice answered over the communicator. "We're beaming you up now…"

Ayeka and Tenchi assumed a heroic stance and disappeared in a pattern of sparks.

Meanwhile, in the _Pioneer_'s transporter room, Mihoshi discovered that transporting living matter through space was tougher than it looked. "Okay, energizing dispersal pattern, molecular imaging scanner functioning normally, phase transition coils energized…" She squinted at the control panel and her hands danced over the touch sensitive controls quickly as her speech accelerated. "Energizing emitter array…annular confinement beam activated, widespread quark manipulation field from phase transition coils activated…" A bead of sweat appeared on her temple as her blue eyes bulged in panic. "Um, no, that's not it…" Her hands made frantic movements over the control board. "Emission of annular confinement beam…quark resolution enhancement enabled…no…pattern buffer in sync with phase transition coils, adjusting for Doppler shift…no…that's not it…no…no…I don't know…!" she cried.

Soon she was madly pushing buttons and turning dials. "Subatomic matter stream held in the pattern buffer…" Tears were streaming out of Mihoshi's eyes by now as she jabbed at the controls with her two forefingers. "C'mon…you can do it…" Mihoshi hit her head on the control panel and pounded at it with her fists. "I don't know…! Please, please bring Tenchi and Ayeka back! I'm sorry, I don't know how to…" Her cries were cut short when the whine of the transporter filled the room and she saw two familiar patterns appear on the transporter pads. "Yay! I knew I could do it; everything is going to be okay!"

Her words died in her throat when she saw the duo before her.

Tenchi blinked and wondered why Mihoshi was staring at them like that. "Mihoshi?" He glanced down at his body and let out a cry. "Ahhhh!" He was wearing the short skirt of the female option uniform! He felt like his feet were being crushed when he realized that the boots he was wearing didn't fit him.

"Eeeee!" Ayeka screamed when she saw the captain, and then she looked down to examine her own uniform. It was a little baggy on her and the shoes were too big. She was wearing trousers when she had been previously been wearing the optional skirt. She noticed the captain's stripes on her sleeve and it all became clear. They had materialized wearing each other's uniform.

"Hello, I'm back!" Midshipman Sasami said cheerily. "Oh," the prepubescent cadet put her hand to her mouth. "What happened in here?"

"Lieutenant Mihoshi!" Ayeka nearly slipped when she stamped her foot that was in Tenchi's too-big-for-her-foot shoe. "I want an explanation now!"

Sasami's eyes bulged out as she watched her captain try to cover his legs with his hands and nervously hop up and down. Mihoshi managed to pull her eyes away from him, and she even managed to ignore his whining.

"Oops!" the blonde smiled apologetically. "Looks like I got the patterns mixed up?"

"Why wasn't Cadet Sasami at the controls?" Ayeka demanded, a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"Well you know...Sasami is reaching that awkward age you know?" Although Mihoshi was smiling, her arms and hands gestured as she spoke and betrayed her tension. "Her bladder isn't growing as fast as the rest of her and she has to go to the bathroom a lot…"

Sasami pried her eyes off Tenchi and waved frantically to Mihoshi. "Don't tell them that!"

Mihoshi continued on, oblivious to the child's discomfort and equally heedless of the first officer's impatience. "…Did you know that lots of children her age have a hard time controlling their urinary functions? That's why lots of children wet the bed…"

"The transporter!" Ayeka yelled as her normally lovely face became a twisted mask of rage. "Why were _you_ manning the transporter?"

Mihoshi stopped looking at the ceiling to look in the general direction of the commander. "Oh…well…Sasami had to go to the bathroom and since regulations insist that the transporter room is to be manned whenever a landing party is away, I volunteered to cover for her until she got back. She really wasn't gone for very long…"

"The captain left you in charge of the ship!" Ayeka screamed. "Who has the conn right now?"

Mihoshi blinked and paused for a moment. Although her attention span was about short as a Scalosian's life span, she had difficulty reacting to changing conversations. "What? Who's got the conn? Well that would be…"

On the bridge a yeoman asked the officer sitting in the captain's chair a question. "I'm sorry, what were your orders again?"

"Meow…" Ensign Whiskers mournfully answered and then covered her eyes with one of her furry hands.

In sickbay, Doctor Yosho was surprised to see Tenchi enter wearing an emergency environmental suit. "Is something wrong?" he asked the teenager.

"No more wrong than usual," Tenchi shrugged, as he unzipped the bulky suit. "Mihoshi beamed me up in Ayeka's uniform and I had to pull this out of one of the lockers."

"Why didn't you go to your quarters?" Yosho asked. "I'm sure you can find a new uniform there," he joked.

"I just came here to make sure that all of me is still _me_," Tenchi rolled his eyes.

Yosho nodded and smiled. "I see…so what is _Ayeka_ wearing?"

"My…uniform," Tenchi put his hand over his eyes. His other hand entered his unzipped environmental suit as he scratched at his chest.

"I guess I can expect a visit from Commander Ayeka then, eh?" smiled Yosho. He stopped when he noticed the captain squirming in the bulky suit. "Are you all right?"

Tenchi's hand emerged from his environmental suit with a lacy undergarment. "It's just this bra…it itches! Bra?" Tenchi's eyes bulged out and his nose started bleeding when he realized what he was holding. The cups of the bra of the future were so…silky. "Aah!" He flung the offending undergarment away and stepped back as if it were a snake. "Damn these teenage hormones!" he cursed. "Doc, don't you have anything that can make these feelings stop?"

"We've already increased your salt peter intake by twenty milligrams," the doctor replied. "I'm sorry Jim, but your body is approaching its sexual peak. Oh yes, try not to think about where your first officer's _panties_ must be right now."

Tenchi put his hands over his eyes and screamed. "How am I supposed to maintain my career when I'm constantly surrounded by beautiful women?!"

"That reminds me," Yosho interrupted calmly, as if he had heard all of this before. "I'd like to show you our guest. Her physiology is quite a mystery."

_Next: Be Our Guest_


	6. Be Our Guest

**Tenchi Trek**

_By Galaxy1001D_

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

**_Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu _**

**_Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka _**

**_Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami _**

**_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi_**

**_Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone_**

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter Six: Be Our Guest_

In the _Pioneer_'s sickbay, a sliding door whooshed open as Doctor Yosho entered followed by the ship's captain. "I'd like to show you our guest," said the old man. "Her physiology is quite a mystery."

Tenchi followed his chief medical officer into the recovery ward. "So what are we looking at?"

The mysterious cyan haired woman was on her back on a bed. She was in a blue gown with green stripes that was long-sleeved and high necked like a Japanese kimono. On the wall above her was a screen displaying medical information in the form of three thermometer-like meters.

Doctor Yosho was normally as calm and inscrutable as Buddha, but his scientific enthusiasm was perceptible. "This woman's metabolism is amazing, she generates enough energy to power a hand phaser!"

"That's impossible," Tenchi shook his head. "How does she do it?"

"She burns up calories like the warp drive devours deutronium," Yosho answered. "What I haven't figured out is how she can survive possessing the charge of a sarium krellide cell. I'm running a genetic test now."

As they were speaking, the woman on the bed opened one of her golden eyes, looked at the two men and shut her eye again.

"So what was she doing on board the pirate ship?" Tenchi leaned down to closely examine the mysterious woman. His face was less than a foot and a half from hers. "Would Ryoko keep her around as an emergency energy source?"

Suddenly the strange woman awoke and embraced the startled captain. "Help!" she shouted in his ear. "Don't let the space pirate get me! Unh!" She let go of him and collapsed on the bed again, her eyes shut and her arms and legs akimbo.

"Ow," Tenchi took a step back and rubbed the inside of his ear with his pinkie finger. "What was that about?"

The cyan haired woman blinked and opened her eyes and sat up. "Where am I?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm James Tenchi of the _Pioneer_ and this is Doctor Katsuhito Yosho," the young captain replied. "You're aboard my ship, in sick bay."

"Oh thank you, Commander," she replied as she pivoted to place her feet on the floor and smiled ingenuously. She batted her eyes in girlish innocence.

"Um, it's Captain, actually."

"Really? The rank insignia on your sleeve says you're a commander unless I'm mistaken." The woman pointed at his arm.

"Wha?" Tenchi looked at his arm. Peeking out of the bulky environmental suit was a gold sleeve with a single solid stripe and the broken stripe that designated the wearer as a lieutenant commander. "Doh!" He blushed as he realized that underneath his unfastened environmental suit he was wearing his first officer's uniform!

When he and Ayeka had returned from the pirate ship, it had been Mihoshi at the transporter controls. Tenchi and his first officer had found themselves in each other's uniform. Tenchi had put on an environmental suit (without the gloves or helmet) so that he wouldn't have to walk the halls in a woman's uniform and headed to sickbay immediately to make sure he was still one hundred percent Tenchi. Underneath the awkward suit, however, he still wore Ayeka's miniskirt and leggings.

Blushing furiously, the captain stammered like the teenager he resembled. "Well actually…I mean…that is…!"

"Well congratulations on your promotion then, Tenchi!" the woman smiled. "Or may I call you 'James'?" Her kimono had a black belt like sash the hung in the back and it was twitching like a cat's tail.

"Tenchi," he said quickly. "Even my mother calls me 'Tenchi'."

"Okay…Tenchi…" the woman said silkily. She leaned forward towards him. When she rose to her feet she fell forward and hugged the captain to keep from falling. "Whoops!" she giggled. "Guess I'm not so good on my feet!" She then whispered huskily into his ear. "But I'm great on my back!"

All of the color left Tenchi's face has he struggled against his body's teenage hormones. He tried to think of disgusting things to get his mind off the woman whose body was pressed against him, but all he managed to do was clear his mind of any thoughts whatsoever.

"Congratulations, Captain!" Yosho slapped him on the back. "You've found an alien to fall in love with before the program ended!"

"Yeah…lucky me…" Tenchi blushed as the green haired woman giggled girlishly.

Just then the door to the sick bay whooshed open and in walked Ayeka wearing Tenchi's uniform. "That stupid Mihoshi…!" she choked with rage. "She's so stupid she doesn't even realize when she's being reprimanded! I've got to transfer her as soon as…" Her voice died when she saw the strange woman embracing her captain. "W-what is going on here?"

"The captain and I are an item…see!" gushed the golden-eyed stranger. "He just declared his eternal love to me!"

"I don't remember doing that…" Tenchi protested.

"Wh-what?" sputtered the purple-haired first officer. "Who _is_ this woman?"

"That's a good question," the alien beauty never stopped clinging to the hapless captain, but her voice assumed a harsher quality. "Captain, who is this old bag?"

"O-old bag?" stammered Ayeka as she pointed an accusing finger at the _Pioneer_'s unusual guest. "How dare you? I am Lydia Ayeka, the first officer!"

The woman squinted at Ayeka's sleeve. "Uh oh! Watch out, Captain! This woman is after your job!"

"What?" Ayeka glanced down at her sleeve and remembered that she was still wearing her superior officer's uniform. "I…that is…I'm not…"

"You better get rid of her, Captain," the woman hissed in Tenchi's ear. "The first chance she gets she'll try to replace you. Just look at those evil red eyes!"

"What's wrong with my eyes?" Ayeka cried. "You are so rude! Who are you and what are you doing with my captain?"

"Why Ayeka, it's only natural for lovers to cuddle," the cyan hair stranger teased.

"L-lovers?" Ayeka gasped.

"Now wait a minute!" Tenchi almost shouted. "We're not lovers! We just met!"

"And it was love at first sight!" gushed the wild-haired woman. "You saved me from the space pirate, and I know just how to thank you!"

"Won't you ever stop!" Ayeka snapped. "Just who do you think you are?"

"I'm the woman who is loved by Tenchi, that's who," the stranger smirked.

"Hold on!" the captain protested. "I don't even know your name!"

"Why that's easy, my name is Ryok…erm…Ryo-ohki," the woman took one arm off the captain to put her hand on her chin, and then smiled and wrapped her arms around Tenchi again. "Yes, that's it…Rio Oakey. First name, 'Rio', last name 'Oakey', okay?" She smiled with an exaggerated grin.

"'Rio Oakey,' huh?" Ayeka crossed her arms skeptically. "Do you have any identification?"

"Hmm," Rio released Tenchi to pat her body as if searching for pockets. "Nope! I guess I left it in my other clothes!"

"How inconvenient." Ayeka's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Tenchi nearly jumped out of his skin as the door hissed open and Midshipman Sasami walked in with two clean and pressed Starfleet uniforms. Doctor Yosho was silently watching them with an amused expression on his face.

"Captain, Commander, here are your uniforms," the pink-eyed cadet announced.

"Sasami! Thank heavens!" Ayeka sighed. "This uniform doesn't really fit me," she joked self-consciously.

"What are you talking about?" Miss Oakey commented. "That uniform suits you to a tee."

"That's very kind of you," the first officer blushed, "but this uniform is too big for me and it sags in places."

"That's what I mean," Rio shrugged. "It shows off all your sags."

"Are you _trying_ to be unpleasant?" Ayeka shrieked.

"Why are you constantly irking her?" Tenchi sighed.

"It's hard not to," Rio grinned. "She's very irkable."

Ayeka gritted her teeth and said, "Sasami, show our _guest_ to her quarters," with such hatred and sarcasm that it seemed out of character for the prim and proper first officer. "Attend to any needs our friend may have, will you?"

"Aye-aye, Commander," smiled the cheerful cadet as she clicked her heels and saluted. She seemed oblivious to the murderous tension in the room. "This way, Miss," she said as she gave the _Pioneer_'s guest a little bow.

The mischievous Rio followed the blue-haired cadet down the curving hallway passing crewmen in their bright colorful Starfleet uniforms.

"So, is that boy in the space suit really the captain?" she asked Sasami.

"Yes he is!" gushed the little cadet. "That's James Jean-Luc Tenchi, the captain of the _Pioneer_! He defeated Kagato at the Battle of Gamma Hydra Four and prevented an interstellar war!"

"Really…" Rio's golden eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open.

"Why yes!" Sasami continued. "He prevented an asteroid from colliding with the Earth, made peaceful contact with the race of Cabbits and rescued a starliner from a group of terrorists! He's my hero!"

"Whoa," Rio's face betrayed her surprise and admiration. "He's so young…I had no idea…He must really be something!"

"He sure is!" smiled Sasami. "Most of the women on this ship have a crush on him and it seems like every time he leads a landing party, a pretty alien girl falls in love with him…"

"Well," the wild haired woman laughed and put a hand to her bosom self-consciously. "Who can blame them? What about the first officer? Does she like the captain too?"

"Wow, she sure does!" Sasami nodded. "Every time an alien falls for the captain she gets so jealous, she nearly starts an interstellar incident!"

"So Commander Ayeka has a temper, huh?" the golden eyed Rio stroked her chin thoughtfully with an evil smile on her face. "Interesting…"

_Next: Blame it on Rio_


	7. Blame it on Rio

**Tenchi Trek**

By Galaxy1001D

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu **_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Sasami**_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone**_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, Paramount Studios, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaski Kajishima_

_Chapter Seven_: _Blame it on Rio_

In his quarters, Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi was getting dressed. On his bed were the bulky environmental suit and Ayeka's miniskirt and leggings. He still couldn't believe that Mihoshi had beamed Ayeka and himself back to the ship in each other's uniforms. He had to put on an environmental suit that he pulled out of a locker near the transporter room or the crewmen of the _Pioneer_ would have seen their captain walking the halls in a female option uniform.

Despite the fact that Cadet Sasami had delivered fresh uniforms to sick bay, Tenchi was too embarrassed to take off the environmental suit, even if he was assured privacy. A nurse or medical technician might enter for some reason. So after Doctor Yosho assured him that none of his bodily organs belonged to his first officer, he carried the uniform to his quarters to change.

As he slipped his boxer shorts on he reflected how nice it was to put on underwear designed for his own size and gender. Ayeka's panties were…constraining, so constraining that once in his own room he opted for boxers instead of briefs. He had abandoned Ayeka's boots in the transporter room and put on the utility boots that could be adjusted to fit him when he made the trek to sickbay.

"You don't have to get dressed on my account," a female voice said.

"Yaa!" the young captain nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned to the woman lounged comfortably in a chair. "It's you, Rio!"

The golden-eyed woman's presence was a mystery. How had she gotten into his room? He hadn't heard the door open. Had she been hiding in his quarters, waiting for him? It didn't seem possible, but it was the only explanation. Well, either that or she could walk through walls.

She ran a hand through her wild greenish white hair. Her golden cat like eyes focused on the golden female option uniform he had discarded on his bed. Oh no! Had she seen him wearing it?

The woman who called herself 'Rio Oakey' frowned, causing one of her comically large ears to twitch. "So who's the lucky girl?" she asked.

"What?" he blinked, unable to follow the conversation. "What girl?"

"C'mon, Tenchi, you've got a lady stashed in here," Rio insisted. "Boy, and they said Jim Kirk was a womanizer. You really don't take a break, do you?"

"Huh?" He glanced at Ayeka's uniform and back to Rio. His eyes went back to the uniform, and back to Rio.

"How dare you play with my heart!" she growled as she got up and looked around. "C'mon where's she hidin'?" The tall cyan haired woman opened the closet the black strap hanging from the back of the skirt of her kimono twitching like a cat's tail. "Hmm, not in here… the bathroom." She headed for the bathroom door.

"What are you talking about?" Now Tenchi was really confused. If Rio had been hiding in his room all this time, wouldn't she have known that it was _he_ who was wearing the female outfit?

The restroom door hissed open and Rio emerged. "Nope, not even in the shower." Her head did a double take around the room as if she expected a woman to appear out of nowhere. "There must be a very embarrassed woman streaking through the halls right now!" She smiled devilishly.

Tenchi had regained his wits enough to pull on a pair of pants. "Now wait a minute? What are you talking about? How long have you been hiding in my room?"

"I just got here," she said.

"What? I didn't hear the door open." He threw an accusing glance at the door to the corridor outside. Like all of the doors on the starship _Pioneer_ it made a pneumonic hiss every time it opened.

"Oh, you must have really been lost in thought." Rio smiled like the cat that ate the canary. He got the feeling there was something she wasn't telling him. Her eyes returned to the offending uniform. "So what's this? Leftovers from last night?"

"No!" Tenchi insisted. "I'm the captain! I can't afford to get personally involved with a member of my crew!"

Rio picked up the uniform to examine it. "Hmm, lieutenant commander, command gold…Do you have the hots for your first officer?"

"No!" Tenchi replied louder than he intended. "Are you crazy? What gives you that idea?"

"She seemed awfully jealous when we met in sickbay earlier," Rio teased. "I don't think she liked seeing me put my arms around you." To demonstrate, she again embraced him, this time from behind. Her chin was just over his shoulder, and her hands were on his naked chest.

Naked chest! He had forgotten that he wasn't wearing a shirt! "Doh!" He tried to squirm out of her grasp, but Rio seemed to have a preternatural strength that defied her slim, curvy build.

"C'mon," the golden-eyed woman purred as her hands caressed him. "Don't be shy… it's not like I'm a member of your crew…"

"Leggo Miss Rio," he said as he attempted to push her away. The problem was that it was impossible to get any leverage without putting his hands on her chest, something he could never allow himself to do in a teenage body. "This is ridiculous! We just rescued you from the pirates! Shouldn't you be in counseling or something?"

"The counselor said that I needed comforting from a loved one," she cooed. "I thought of you because I really don't know anyone else on this ship." She brought her lips to Tenchi's ear and whispered huskily. "You were so sweet when you rescued me… so brave… no one has ever treated me like that before."

Her grasp relaxed enough for Tenchi to slip away. He looked at her smiling face beaming at him and blushed as he realized that underneath her playful demeanor there was the possibility that this mysterious woman was actually attracted to him.

He couldn't understand it. After the transporter accident last year he had considered his teenage form awkward and effeminate, yet if a woman had a single gene of extraterrestrial DNA there was a good chance that they would be interested in him. Was the galaxy inhabited by seductive pedophiles?

"Um…just doing my duty," he stammered lamely. "I don't mean to be rude Miss Oakey, but I've got a meeting scheduled and I really ought to get dressed before I …"

"Aww," cooed Rio with mock disappointment. "Can't you reschedule it?"

"It's important if we want to find out what happened to the pirates," he said as he pulled on a gold sweater with captain's stripes on the sleeves.

"The who?" asked Rio.

"The space pirates," Tenchi said sternly. "The pirates who kidnapped you. You _do_ remember the space pirates, don't you?"

The large eared woman rolled her eyes at the ceiling and hit the palm of her hand with her fist. "Oh… right… the space pirates… that's right… I remember them…"

"Good," said Tenchi has he pulled on some black regulation boots. "Now, what does Ryoko look like?"

"Who?" Rio seemed to jump at the name.

"Ryoko, the leader of the space pirates," Tenchi repeated. "The pirate who's been terrorizing the space lanes for the last two years."

"Oh… her… I mean him!" the woman's golden eyes flickered left and right as she squirmed uncomfortably. "Yes, him! Oh yeah! He um… has a hook for a right hand and a peg leg."

"A hook and a peg leg?" Tenchi asked skeptically. "In this day and age? Why doesn't he have artificial limbs?"

"Um… nerve damage," Rio pulled at the collar of her high-necked blue gown with green stripes. "I heard that his body rejected biosynthetic limbs."

"Really…" Tenchi tried to look her in the eye, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. Giving up, he combed his hair at his mirror and turned to his quirky visitor. "Do you want to come with me to the meeting? You might be able to fill in some blanks."

"Sure," she gushed with her former bravado. "I'd love to! I've never attended a Starfleet meeting before!"

Tenchi and Ryoko were among the first to arrive. Meeting them was Ayeka and Doctor Yosho.

"Captain, what is that woman doing here?" Ayeka fumed at the sight of Rio.

"I thought she might be able to add to what we know," Tenchi replied. He didn't want to admit that he wanted to keep an eye on this strange woman. He also didn't want to admit that he figured that he wouldn't be able to leave her out of the meeting either.

His purple-haired first officer did not seem to be convinced. "Captain, with all due respect, Miss Oakey is not cleared to be in this meeting. She hasn't been debriefed…"

"I'd like to debrief _you_, Capo," Rio hissed in Tenchi's ear.

"…and we have not yet determined her relation to the pirates. For all we know, she could be a pirate herself."

"What are you talkin' about?" Rio's fangs were visible and her golden eyes and wild hairstyle made her look like a fierce bird of prey. Suddenly, Rio was all sweetness, and her voice rose an octave. "Do I look like a space pirate?" she asked as she clasped her hands together and batted her eyes coquettishly. Tenchi could almost imagine stars in her eyes.

"I'm afraid she's right, Miss Oakey," Tenchi said gently. "Maybe you should wait in the second conference room."

Once again the mercurial Rio Oakey changed moods. "Hey, who wears the pants here, you or her?" Both Tenchi and Ayeka blushed as that remark hit home. Less than a half hour ago, Ayeka had been wearing the pants, unlike Tenchi, who had been wearing a skirt.

"I'm sorry, Miss Oakey," he repeated. "My first officer is right. I can't let my personal feelings…" his voice stopped as if a switch had been flicked off. Both Rio and Ayeka were staring at him. Rio eyes lit up in ecstasy and Ayeka's eyes widened in horrified shock. "Ahem," Tenchi coughed nervously as he attempted to amend his statement. "I can't let civility get in the way of regulations. You understand."

"No I don't but I think that I'm starting to…" Rio winked as she walked to the door. She paused to turn and blow Tenchi a kiss. Just then the door slid open and a blonde bombshell exploded on Rio.

"I'm late!" Mihoshi squeaked as she dashed into the conference room before she collided with Rio. "Eek!"

"Watch where you're goin'!" Rio yelled with all the femininity of a truck driver. She then looked guiltily up at the captain, first officer and chief surgeon and then cooed in a high-pitched voice, "Oops! Clumsy me! Are you all right?"

"Yes," said the teary-eyed Mihoshi as she dusted herself off. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"That's all right," chirped Rio. "Bye-bye!" She smiled as she strode gracefully out the door. Just before the door hissed closed Tenchi could see Rio clutch her back and wince painfully.

"I'm sorry I'm late," said Mihoshi as she bowed repeatedly before her superiors.

"It's okay, Lieutenant," Tenchi assured her. "You're right on time."

Ayeka crossed her arms and shook her head in disgust. "Even if you _are_ an embarrassment to the ship." Rio's appearance had soured her mood.

"Now, now," Tenchi tutted. "No one was hurt. Let's put it behind us."

"Captain, you can't keep sticking your neck out for Lieutenant Mihoshi," Ayeka nagged. "I don't want her to drag you down with her."

Tenchi knew that it was his exchange with Rio that had put his first officer in such a bad humor. "Number One, you know I would stick my neck out for any member of my crew."

"I know," Ayeka sighed, "and that's why I love--" The first officer's eyes grew wide as she tripped over her words. "—er, um, _worry_ about you."

It was as Tenchi feared. He had a feeling that Ayeka was attracted to him before his accident, but he didn't know if she still had those feelings now. Now it was obvious that she was still infatuated, but thankfully her proper sense of decorum prevented her from acting on her emotions.

"Don't worry about me, Ayeka," the captain smiled. "I'm still young." Since the transporter accident last year, that phrase had become somewhat of a running joke. "If Starfleet doesn't work out, I can always grow carrots on the family farm."

The door hissed open and Kiyone and Washu entered the room. Everyone took their seats. Tenchi cleared his throat and his voice assumed a breezy tone. "All right, let's get underway, shall we? Do we want to review the new data or do we want to continue where Washu left off?"

Washu spoke up first. "I think that some background data on our quarry would be prudent in order to make sense of our discoveries, wouldn't you, sir?"

"Agreed," Tenchi nodded. "Continue with your presentation Lieutenant. Let's hope we're not interrupted like last time."

Washu rose from her chair to stand before a screen on the wall that could project three-dimensional objects on its screen. On the screen was an image of a brown spiky object with a red sphere in the center. As the green-eyed redhead began her presentation, other images appeared in windows on the screen to illustrate her points.

"The space pirate known as 'Ryoko' appeared recently on the scene. In the last two years, the pirates' targets have been banks, casinos, and freighters. The starships _Yamato_ and _Okinawa_ tangled with them on Stardate 1996.5 and were disabled, the pirate ship escaping with minimal damages. So far, the pirate known as 'Ryoko' has caused no fatalities, but lots of property damage."

Behind Washu, a picture of a woman appeared on the screen behind her. "Ryoko is a female Burchardian in her late twenties who is easily recognized from a distance by her flamboyant greenish white hair and garish clothing. She has been arrested twice and each time has escaped within twenty-four hours of her arrest…" Washu's voice died as she saw the shocked expressions of her fellow officers. "Wha? What's wrong with all of you?" She turned to look at the sneering image of a woman with a mane of greenish white hair, golden hawk-like eyes, and comically large ears. "What?"

"Rio," Tenchi breathed.

"That horrid woman… it can't be…" Ayeka gasped.

"Omigod, we let her aboard our ship," Kiyone groaned.

"She looks familiar," Mihoshi scratched her head. "Have I seen her before?"

"Mihoshi you idiot!" Ayeka screeched. "You bumped into her when you ran in the door right there!" She pointed to the door to the corridor, but it was already open.

Standing in the door was Rio, an exact match to the image on the screen!

"My arrest record," the cyan haired woman said dryly. "Oh darn."

_Next: Run Ryoko Run!_


	8. Run Ryoko Run!

**Tenchi Trek**

_By Galaxy1001D_

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 8: Run Ryoko Run_

"Captain's Log, supplemental, we have just discovered the identity of the dread pirate Ryoko."

"My arrest record," Ryoko said dryly. "Oh darn." She exited the doorway from the conference room and scampered down the hall.

"Mihoshi!" the captain cried. "Sound intruder alert! The rest of you, after her!"

The astonished officers of the _Pioneer_ leaped from their seats and exited the conference room in a confused mob. Meanwhile Mihoshi stayed behind to alert the rest of the ship.

"Oh…how do I work this?" she whined while pressing some random buttons on the communication panel that was on the wall of the conference room. Suddenly, a bright peppy tune could be heard all over the ship. It was the score that was used at the end of every episode of _The Benny Hill Show_ during Earth's 1970's and 80's. "Oops, that's not it!" Mihoshi squeaked. Somehow, she had crossed the computer's library index with the shipwide communications system and now every deck of the _Pioneer_ was bombarded with the jaunty tune.

Ryoko dashed through the corridors with Tenchi, Ayeka, Kiyone, Yosho, and Washu on her heels. She ran into a door that hissed shut behind her.

When the others got there, the door hissed open to reveal a tall lanky woman in a red uniform with her greenish-white tresses in a beehive hairdo. Her face was obscured by the clipboard she held up in front of her face as if she was reading it intently. Tenchi, Ayeka, Kiyone, and Yosho brushed past her to enter the room in pursuit of the pirate, but Washu, whose legs were shorter than the others', had lagged behind.

Peering suspiciously at the crewman with the clipboard in front of her face, Washu noted the large ears and furtive, golden, catlike eyes that darted left and right. The woman walked at a slow pace down the hallway while peering over the clipboard that hid her features. Washu's emerald green eyes narrowed as she put her hands to her hips.

The door beside Washu hissed open. Tenchi and the others darted out, their heads looking right and left in search of their quarry. Without a word, Washu pointed to the crewman with the greenish white beehive hairdo. The woman sneezed, and her hair tumbled out into the now familiar wild and spiky style that was Ryoko's trademark.

Sheepishly glancing behind her, Ryoko ran off down the hall while the officers gave chase.

The door to the conference room opened just before Ryoko passed it.

Mihoshi walked out and was nearly knocked over by the fleeing pirate. She spun around and watched Ryoko disappear down the hall when the mob of pursuing officers caught up with her. Poor Mihoshi was nearly trampled by the frantic mob and somehow lost her uniform. Clad only in her pink lacy bra, gold panties, black stockings and matching boots, the dizzy blonde took off after the mob to ask them how to shut off the _Benny Hill_ music that had filled the corridor.

Tenchi and the others caught up to Ryoko in a lounge. Somehow, the space pirate was back in her blue kimono with the green stripes instead of the Starfleet uniform she was in only minutes before.

"Get her!" Kiyone yelled as she lunged at the cyan haired woman. To the tactical officer's surprise, Ryoko vanished in a pink flash only to reappear a few yards away. The teal haired lieutenant tumbled to the floor as she missed her target entirely. "What the--?"

"She can teleport!" Ayeka cried. Ryoko gave the officers a haughty smirk and gave a little bow. "Wait a minute!" the purple-haired first officer exclaimed. "Doesn't anybody have a phaser?"

The command personnel of the _Pioneer_ glanced at one another, but got only shrugs and dumb looks. "Whoops. I _thought_ we were forgetting something," Yosho smiled guiltily.

Ryoko smirked and put her hands on her hips. "So…you're all unarmed, eh?" she smiled. "Well in that case, the shoe's on the other foot!" Her face became a mask of rage and she spread her fingers wide as reddish pink lighting bots crackled between her hands. "Ragh!" she growled. "Now it's time to cook you guys! You're in for it now!"

"Run!" Tenchi cried as his officers turned and fled back down the corridor.

They dashed past the hapless Mihoshi, spinning her around until she lost her balance and fell. When she got back to her feet, she noticed that she was once again clad in her gold uniform. She smiled and adjusted her sleeves and skirt, but was knocked back down by Ryoko, who was still chasing her pursuers.

Ryoko was floating in a vertical stance rather than running, yet she had no difficulty keeping up with the fleeing officers. She came to a halt when she ran into a group of redshirted security personnel armed with phaser pistols. Tenchi and the others were behind the protective cordon of redshirts. Kiyone was at a wall panel shutting off the irritating _Benny Hill _music.

"Surrender, Ryoko!" The captain called out. "You have nowhere to go! This chase is over!"

"_This_ chase may be over," Ryoko challenged, "but the next chase is only beginning. Ta-ta!" She blew Tenchi a kiss and gave an extravagant bow. Then before the startled assembly, she sank into the floor as if it was water.

"She's amazing!" Washu cried. "She's capable not only of teleportation, but she can phase through solid matter as well! No wonder she's never been caught!"

"Well, there's a first time for everything!" Tenchi declared. He strode to a communications panel on the wall. "Attention, all decks, this is the captain speaking. We have an intruder alert; repeat, we have an intruder alert!"

Meanwhile, in the captain's office, Yeoman Sakuya used an electronic PADD to prepare the Tenchi's itinerary. She was startled when a cyan haired woman appeared out of nowhere. "Yes?" asked the pretty young yeoman. "May I help you?"

"Say…" Ryoko's eyes narrowed at the sight of the girl. "Aren't you Sakuya, Tenchi's girlfriend from _Tenchi in Tokyo_?"

The girl blushed at the flagrant breaking of the fourth wall. "Well yes, I was his girlfriend in _Tenchi in Tokyo_, but in this story I'm the captain's yeoman, like Janice Rand was in the first season of _Star Trek_'s original series…"

Bonk! Before Sakuya could react, Ryoko had hit her over the head with an archaic wooden baseball bat. "Oh no you don't Missy," the pirate growled. "You've messed up _Tenchi Muyo_ long enough!" She picked up the unconscious girl and disappeared.

On the bridge, Tenchi, Washu, and Kiyone stepped out of the elevator. "Status report!" Tenchi snapped.

"Meow meow meow!" Ensign Whiskers reported.

"What?" Tenchi blinked.

Kiyone looked over Whiskers' shoulder to read her instruments. "She reports that one of the escape pods has been launched."

"Launched?" Tenchi repeated. "Is Ryoko in it?"

"Nope, it's Yeoman Sakuya," said Washu checking the scans from the science station.

"What?" exclaimed the confused captain.

In the escape pod bay, Ryoko was clapping the dirt off her hands. "Well that's a job well done, I think," she smiled to herself.

"Who gave you permission to be down here?" a woman's voice asked.

"Wha?" Ryoko turned to see an auburn-haired young woman in a Starfleet uniform staring coldly at her. "Haruna? Aren't you the gal who kidnapped Tenchi in the third _Tenchi Muyo_ movie _Tenchi Forever_?"

"That was in _Tenchi Forever_," Ensign Haruna waved her hand in dismissal. "In this story I'm…"

Bonk! Ryoko dropped the baseball bat to drag the stunned woman into escape pod two. "I don't know what's worse, stealing Tenchi away or boring the stuffing out us. Your scenes in _Tenchi Forever_ blew chunks!"

On the bridge, Tenchi and Kiyone were using the tractor beam to retrieve the escape pod.

Washu called out from the science station. "Captain," she uttered, her eyes never leaving her hooded viewer, "a second escape pod was just launched from the _Pioneer_."

"Get a security team to the escape pod bay immediately!" Tenchi snapped.

In the transporter room, Sasami was humming to herself as she ran a diagnostic on her equipment. Behind her, a shimmering pink energy field coalesced into the lanky form of Ryoko wielding a baseball bat. She crept closer to the unsuspecting cadet…closer…she gripped the bat with both hands and slowly raised the bat in the air, ready to swing…

Sasami turned around and smiled. "Oh hello. I didn't see you there. Are we playing baseball today?"

"Why yes," Ryoko grinned back, taking a few test swings with the bat. "The captain thinks it would be good for morale. I left my catcher's mitt on my ship. Could you beam me over to it so I can get it?"

"Why sure," replied the innocent girl. "That's what I'm here for. Just get on the little circle."

"Thank you," said Ryoko as she stepped on the transporter pad.

"Don't mention it," Sasami replied.

"Oh by the way," Ryoko raised a finger to get the girl's attention, "there's an intruder alert going on, so keep your eyes out for anyone suspicious will you?"

"Can do," Sasami nodded. "See you later!"

As the whine of the transporter filled the room, Ryoko disappeared from the transporter pad in a shimmering display of sparks.

_Next: Never Anger An Omnipotent Being_


	9. Never Anger An Omnipotent Being

**Tenchi Trek**

_By Galaxy1001D_

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 9: Never Anger An Omnipotent Being_

"Captain's log, Stardate 2007.94, somehow, despite our best efforts, the space pirate Ryoko has escaped and is back on her ship."

"Who authorized the use of the transporter?" First Officer Ayeka growled. "Who was in charge of the transporter room?"

"Midshipman Sasami, ma'am," Kiyone replied.

"This is criminal negligence!" Ayeka sputtered. "I'll see to it that Midshipman Sasami is court-martialed for this!"

Mihoshi pivoted her chair to face her superior. "Aww, go easy on her won't you, Ayeka? She's only eight and a half years old…"

Ayeka cried softly into her hands. There was an awkward silence on the bridge.

Doctor Yosho, who was standing unobtrusively by the elevator doors, put his hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Meow!" chirped Ensign Whiskers as a light lit up on her console.

"There's an incoming transmission from the pirate ship," Washu reported.

"On screen," Tenchi replied. Whiskers meowed in acknowledgement.

The image of spiky ship on the sea of stars vanished to reveal the image of Ryoko, once again wearing her low cut outfit with the jacket with green and gold sleeves. "Hi captain, it's been fun, but I really must dash. There's a music contest on Risa that I don't want to miss! Buh-bye!" The smiling space pirate smiled cheekily and waved before her image was replaced with the black sky and the stars of outer space.

"The ship is engaging its warp drive," Washu reported as Ryoko's ship vanished into the distance. "Speed warp one point five and increasing!"

"Match speed and plot an intercept course." Tenchi ordered.

"Course plotted and engaging warp drive," Mihoshi responded from the helm controls.

"Arm photon torpedoes and raise shields when we are in firing range," said the captain.

"Torpedoes armed," Kiyone replied from tactical.

"Power allocated to warp drive and deflector shields," said Ayeka from her seat at the engineering/power allocation console.

"Ryoko increasing speed to warp three," Washu said from sensors.

"Matching speed and catching up," said Mihoshi.

"Hail the pirate ship," Tenchi ordered.

"Meow!" said Whiskers.

"This is Tenchi of the _Pioneer_ hailing Ryoko," Tenchi's voice took on a tone of authority. "Disengage your warp drive and prepare to be boarded. You have committed acts of aggression against the Federation and must stand trial for your crimes."

Ryoko's image appeared on the screen. "You wouldn't fire on me, would you, Cutie?"

"Ryoko!" exclaimed a horrified Tenchi.

"Oops!" Ryoko sputtered. "I mean…you'll never take me alive, Copper!" She stuck her tongue out and cut the transmission.

"Look out she's firing!" Kiyone exclaimed. The points of the spikes on Ryoko's ship lit up and a beam of light illuminated the screen. A crash was heard and the bridge seemed to wobble as the inertial compensators tried to account for the unexpected impact.

"Damage report," Tenchi snapped.

Suddenly, Ensign Whiskers tearfully began an agonized howling. Water seemed to flow out of her eyes in streams.

"What's the matter with her?" the captain asked.

Washu took the earpiece from the distraught feline and listened for a moment. "We took a hit to hydroponics," she explained, "the carrot crop has been exposed to vacuum."

"Oh, no…Ensign Whiskers," Sasami clucked, "I'm so sorry…"

Tenchi turned to Yosho, who hadn't moved from the elevator doors.

"Doc, I think you ought to take Whiskers down to sickbay," he said gravely. "She's going to need some counseling."

The doctor nodded once. "Can do," he went to the communications console and put his arm around the devastated catwoman and pulled her to her feet. "C'mon Whiskers…it will be all right…" he uttered soothingly as he led her to the turbolift. After the doors hissed shut after them there was an awkward silence on the bridge.

"That was a warning shot," Washu chimed in from sciences. "Her next shot will be more powerful. This is terrible."

"Yes, how dare she fire at us!" said an angry Ayeka.

"No, I mean it's more expensive to film a combat sequence at warp speed than at sublight speed. That's why all the space combat in the _Star Trek _TV shows and movies take place in normal space. We've got to knock her out of warp somehow."

Ayeka hid her face with her hands. "Doesn't _anybody_ stay in character?" she wailed.

"All right Washu," Tenchi valiantly tried to ignore Ayeka's outburst. "Coordinate with Kiyone. Launch a photon torpedo to disable her warp drive." Washu had studied Ryoko's warp system and had the best chance to plot an effective firing solution.

"I've got a lock!" Washu announced.

"Fire!" Tenchi ordered.

"Torpedo away!" Kiyone cried as she hit the firing button.

Propelled by a multimodule sustainer engine that uses energy from the torpedo launcher, the photon torpedo can maintain warp speeds if fired from a vehicle at warp. A glowing red star emerged from the Pioneer's torpedo bay and hurled itself at the pirate ship. An explosion from the ship's underside prompted cheers on the bridge.

"It's a hit!" Kiyone exclaimed. "She's dropping out of warp!"

"Cut to impulse engines and stay on her!" Tenchi ordered.

The stars changed from blurring lines back into shining points as the two vessels slowed down from warp back to sublight speeds.

Washu's hooded viewer made strange beeping noises. "We've overshot her by a million kilometers," the redhead reported. "She's on our dorsal aft quarter and closing rapidly!"

Tenchi got out of the captain's chair to confront the main viewscreen. "Bring her about, two zero zero mark three five! One third impulse!"

"Two zero zero mark thirty-five!" Mihoshi repeated as the stars on the screen pivoted, moved from left to right and Ryoko's ship came into view. "One third impulse!"

Suddenly the screen went dead. All the consoles, monitors, and readouts on the bridge simultaneously lost power. Everyone looked up from their stations, searching for the cause of the power loss.

"Oops," muttered a sheepish Sasami, "my bad." She knelt down and inserted a three pronged plug attached to heavily insulated cord back into the electric outlet. "I tripped on the cord."

The screen came back to life and the bridge crew returned their attention to their consoles as they blinked, whirred, and chirped with digital readouts and images.

Sasami sat down at the vacated communications station to stay out of the way. She gasped as she glanced at the blinking instrument panel. "We're being hailed by the enemy ship!"

"On screen," Tenchi replied.

Ryoko's image appeared on the main viewscreen. "Hey, what did you do that for?" the pirate demanded. "I just fired a warning shot so you wouldn't get in trouble when I escaped! If I didn't know better, I'd think that you were actually _trying_ to shoot me down!"

"We _are_ trying to shoot you down!" Ayeka retorted.

"Belay that, Commander," Tenchi admonished. He turned his attention to the main screen. "Ryoko, I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have committed one crime after another. I can't let you go. If I do, you'll only be attacked by someone who won't hesitate to use lethal force on you. Please, surrender. So far you haven't hurt anyone. I'm sure you will get a light sentence, what do you say?"

Ryoko's image blinked in confusion at the unexpected appeal. "Well that's a novel approach," she shrugged. "I got a better idea," she said as her eyes got cold, "how 'bout I disable your ship and bug out of here while you make repairs?"

"Ryoko I…" Tenchi's words died as the pirate's face vanished from the screen to be replaced by her spiky spaceship. "Shields up!" he ordered. A huge crash was heard and the entire bridge tilted to starboard as a flash from the viewscreen illuminated the room. "Damage report!" the captain shouted.

"Moderate damage to port-forward shield," Kiyone reported.

"We've lost the women's room on deck five!" Ayeka exclaimed.

Mishoshi pointed at a rectangular crimson bulb installed in the doorframe. "The red taillight next to the elevator has shorted out!"

"Calm down everyone," Tenchi gestured for quiet. "We were lucky. Now has any _important_ systems been damaged?"

"The cafeteria reports that the main coffeemaker is offline," Sasami replied.

Tenchi's agonized cry could be heard in the vacuum of space. "RYOKO!" (echo effect)

"She's powering up her weapons to fire again!" Washu cried from sensors.

"Evasive maneuvers, Miss Mihoshi," the captain ordered. He turned to Kiyone. "Angle the deflector shields to its strongest point and see if you can reflect some of her fire!"

"Aye-aye, sir," Kiyone responded.

"She's heading to that green planet," Washu reported. "An 'M' class world, capable of supporting life. Lots of vegetation, no sign of industry or intelligent life at this range."

"She's trying to get behind it!" Ayeka chirped from her power allocation console.

"Stay with her, Mihoshi," Tenchi crouched next to the helm station.

The blonde nodded, a look of determination on her normally childish face. "Don't worry about a thing, Captain. Just leave it to me!"

Ayeka stood up from her engineering station. "Captain, I suggest that we go to red alert!"

"We're in the middle of a space battle, Ayeka," Tenchi replied. "I think the crew knows we're in combat."

"None-the-less, regulations dictate that we sound general quarters and consider the ship in a _red alert_ situation," Ayeka spoke to the captain in a rather imperious tone.

"Are you sure, Miss Ayeka?" Mihoshi asked. "That _would_ mean changing the bulb."

"Why can't we ever operate like professionals?" Ayeka's lovely face became a twisted mask of rage.

"Gee that's a good question," Mihoshi turned to Kiyone, who was manning the controls directly starboard of her. "Why do you think we never operate like professionals, Kiyone?"

"Because your grandfather is Starfleet's Commander-In-Chief?" the teal-haired tactical officer suggested.

Mihoshi gave an embarrassed grin. "Gee, that's a good point. I never thought of it like that!"

"I'm sorry Ayeka," Tenchi hugged his distraught first officer. "If it means that much, I'll put us on red alert. Sasami, sound general quarters!"

"Rodger!" Sasami flicked a switch and irritating alarm sounded throughout the ship.

"Argh! I've changed my mind!" Ayeka broke away from Tenchi to put her hands over her ears. "Shut off that racket!"

Tenchi drew his finger over his throat and the blue-haired cadet silenced the klaxon.

The purple-haired first officer opened her eyes and took her fingers out of her ears. She blinked as she spotted Ryoko's ship on the main viewscreen. "There she is!" Ayeka pointed.

"Lock on and fire phasers!" Tenchi shouted.

"We don't have power allocated to phasers," Kiyone grumbled. "It seems that the officer in charge of distributing power decided to have a hissey fit!"

Ayeka gulped and leaped back in her chair.

"I've got power to launch a torpedo," Kiyone offered.

"Fire!" Tenchi ordered.

"Firing torpedo!" Kiyone responded. She flinched in frustration. "The torpedo went wide! I didn't compensate for the planet's gravity!"

"Incoming transmission," Sasami reported.

"On screen," Tenchi replied.

The pirate ship and the green planet vanished to be replaced by the cyan-haired image of Ryoko. "Hey, captain, how could you miss me at this range?" she taunted. "Who was at fire control, the first officer with the bloodshot eyes?"

"How dare you?" Ayeka leapt from her chair in rage. "My eyes are _not_ bloodshot! And I wasn't at tactical either. It was _some_ officer who has nothing better to do than bad mouth her superiors!"

"At least I can keep my mind on my job!" Kiyone retorted. "I don't get caught up on unnecessary procedures!"

"Don't take that insubordinate tone with me, Lieutenant!" Ayeka pointed her finger at Kiyone. "Or your next assignment will be escorting waste disposal ships!"

Ryoko blinked in surprise. "Wow, with officers like that under your command, who needs space pirates?"

Tenchi shot her an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, heh-heh."

"Well, sorry about this, captain," Ryoko eyes dipped down as if she was paying attention to a readout or her controls, "but I'm never going to get a better opportunity. When your ship is repaired, feel free to look me up."

"She's firing on us!" Washu cried.

"All hands, brace for impact!" Tenchi grabbed the side of the helm console to steady himself.

"Angling deflector shields for minimum impact!" Kiyone cried as the bridge tilted forward and the captain staggered.

The _Pioneer_'s deflector system is more powerful and refined than those of a commercial vessel, so when Ryoko fired her next shot it bounced off without seriously affecting shield power. The polarized disrupter beam traveled through the planet's atmosphere and targeted an idyllic grove. In less than a second, the old growth trees twice as high as the Coastal California redwood were destroyed in a brilliant flash.

All of this, however, was completely unknown to the intrepid crew of the _Pioneer_.

"Minimum damage to starboard shield!" Kiyone announced.

Washu was peering into her hooded viewer and ignored the irritating beeping sound it was making. "She's heading away from the planet, heading towards deep space."

"Keep after her," Tenchi ordered. "Stand by on phasers."

"Power for phasers," Ayeka repeated to herself as she struggled to provide power for thrust, weapons, and shields simultaneously.

"She's slowing down, Captain," Washu reported. "Her shields are dropping. She seems to be powering down too."

"It's a trick," Kiyone shook her head. "We didn't hit her that hard."

"She's setting a trap for us," Tenchi nodded. "Washu, you've studied that ship better than any of us, what can we expect?"

The four-foot redhead pivoted her chair to face the captain. "She has eight weapon hardpoints and a radial warp envelope that…"

Ayeka's frantic cry interrupted them. "Captain! We're losing power!" she squeaked. "Our main power is just being drained away!"

"Switch to impulse power," Tenchi suggested. "Try to conserve main power as long as possible!"

The first officer's lovely red eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as her cultured aristocratic voice became that of a screaming schoolgirl. "It's no use! Backup power is being drained too! At this rate, all we'll have left is batteries!"

Tenchi turned to his chief science officer. "Washu, what's going on? Is it Ryoko's ship?"

"Not a chance," Washu shook her head. "My sensors show that Ryoko's ship is as dead as we are. It would take a lot of power to pull this off, and right now, Ryoko doesn't have it!"

Mihoshi put a finger to her chin in thought. "Gee Kiyone, Ayeka said that the women's room on deck five was out. Do you think that the toilets have backed up into the warp drive?"

Kiyone surprised them all with a sudden outburst. "Mihoshi, you idiot, you broke the ship!" The teal-haired tactical officer started slapping the side of the blonde helmswoman's head as she shouted at her. "You caused a feedback into the main reactor and broke the ship! Thanks to you, we're helpless now!"

Mihoshi put her hands up to shield herself as tears trickled down her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry, Kiyone! I d-don't know w-what I've done…Everything was going so well, too, I don't understand it!"

"Captain, I'm scared," Midshipman Sasami put her arms around Tenchi's waist.

"It's going to be all right, Sasami," the captain assured her as he patted her head. "We just need to find a way out this."

"It's not Mihoshi's fault," Washu announced in a commanding voice. "Some outside force is responsible for this! Whatever it is has apparently got Ryoko too!"

"B-but Miss Washu," Ayeka stammered. "What could do this?"

As if in response, a regal bluehaired woman in elegant robes materialized in front of the main viewscreen.

"I am Tsunami," she announced, "guardian of the planet Druidia."

"Tsunami?" Ayeka repeated.

"As in a tidal wave?" Kiyone asked. "That can't be good."

"You primitive creatures have damaged a sacred grove," the pink-eyed guardian of Druidia continued. "I shall now access your records to determine what to do with you."

Mihoshi nibbled her fingernail nervously. "Umm…would it help to say we're sorry?"

"Wait a minute!" Tenchi exclaimed. "I'm James Tenchi, and I'm the captain of this vessel, and I'd like…"

"Silence!" She raised an arm and the entire bridge became dark, illuminated only by an eerie blue light. Every officer on the bridge were frozen in time, like a collection of wax mannequins. The mysterious being known as Tsunami closed her pink eyes as various computers and consoles on the bridge whirred, clicked and beeped quickly. She lowered her hand and opened her eyes and the lighting of the bridge returned to normal.

Tenchi continued his rant right where he left off. "…to know who you are and…" he paused and looked around. "What's happening?" he asked in a resigned voice.

Washu put her arms behind her head and leaned back in her chair. "Now you've done it, Tenchi. You've ticked off an incredibly powerful super-being."

Tsunami crossed her arms and frowned. "I have accessed your records and discovered that you are a savage race whose history is marked by war." She replied. "The one known as Ryoko is an unprincipled criminal. Since violence is all you understand, I will allow your battle to continue, but in a way that will not endanger innocents."

With that, a brilliant blue glow engulfed the bridge and Tsunami vanished from view.

"Well!" Ayeka exclaimed. "Who was that? Have you ever…" Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh no! Tenchi! Where's the captain?"

Cadet Sasami blinked in surprise at her open palm. She had previously been holding Tenchi's hand, but now all she was holding was empty air.

"What?" Kiyone breathed.

"That captain's gone!" cried a teary-eyed Ayeka.

_Next: The Duel _


	10. The Duel

**Tenchi Trek **

_By Galaxy1001D_

**_Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi_ **

**_Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu_ **

**_Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka _ **

**_Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami _ **

**_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi_ **

**_Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone _ **

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ **_Yosho_ **

**_Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers_ **

**_Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko_ **

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 10: The Duel _

"Captain's Log, supplemental. A highly advanced being of immense power has abducted the space pirate Ryoko and myself for reasons unknown. I have no way of knowing the fate of my ship or what the motives of the being who calls herself 'Tsunami' is…"

"That's really annoying," Ryoko said, "do you have to keep doing that?"

Tenchi put his miniature recorder back in his pocket and glanced around at the desolate surroundings. The bleak and desert landscape would be appropriate for the North American southwest back on Earth. Sheer rocky cliffs almost devoid of vegetation seemed to go on in every direction. Finally he turned to face the pirate. "If I don't make it, I'd like future generations to know what happened."

"What a pessimist," The pirate shrugged. She was still in what Tenchi liked to call her 'Vegas' apparel. A red bodysuit peaked out of a white dress and covered her legs. A jacket half forest green and half gold covered her torso, but was open to expose the cleaving of her ample bosom.

The wind picked up, and appearing in a blue shower of sparks was the enigmatic being who called herself 'Tsunami'. She appeared as a beautiful woman with long sky-blue hair and bubblegum pink eyes. She wore billowing robes appropriate for a queen. "Here on this world, you can continue your struggle without endangering innocents," she announced without preamble. "You can serve your savage impulses without regret. When a victor has been determined, you may return to your vessel."

"Hey," Ryoko interrupted. "You mean 'return to your _vessels_', don't you?"

"No," the omnipotent woman shook her head. "I mean 'return to your vessel'. As in singular. With beings of your savagery a conflict can only be resolved by the death of one of the combatants."

Tenchi and Ryoko both took an involuntary gasp and stepped backwards.

"Hey wait," Ryoko protested. "I don't want to kill anybody…"

"You already have," said a cold Tsunami. "Your battle caused deaths on Druidia. I was forced to act to end your conflict before any other innocents were hurt."

"Omigod, I'm so sorry," Ryoko was horrified. "I didn't realize. Were any children hurt?"

"I can't believe it," Tenchi shook his head. "If this is true I gladly submit to any justice system appropriate to your world and the Federation will extend its deepest apologies."

"Perhaps you are not as primitive as I perceived," said Tsunami softening at the show of remorse. "Maybe no deaths are necessary. The old growth forest was damaged, but the trees of life will grow again and…"

"Wait a minute!" Ryoko interrupted. "An old growth forest? As in a natural preserve? Were any _people_ harmed by our space battle?"

Tsunami shook her head. "Not people in the sense of sentient mammalian bipeds but much pain and suffering happened to the native vegetation."

"You mean the only damage was in an unpopulated wilderness?" Tenchi's face grew red. "I was sick with worry!"

"You mean you dragged us all the way out here because of a one-time explosion to a bunch of _plants_?" Ryoko's voice became harsh. "You're a real nutjob!"

Tsunami's face grew hard again. "It is obvious that you do not understand. Very well, continue your pointless battle until one of you dies if that is all you can do. If you wish your opponent's death to be quick and painless, here are some weapons that I can provide for you."

Before their feet, two pole weapons appeared in a shower of blue sparks.

"Your computer lists them as 'lirpa' from the planet Vulcan," Tsunami continued as they examined the strange weapons. "You'll notice that one end of the short pole ends in a blade and the other in a bludgeon. That way you can stab, slash, chop or block with them. Goodbye." The enigmatic superbeing disappeared in a shower of blue sparks.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted. "She was going to let us go! Why did you have to antagonize her?"

"Don't pull that with me!" Ryoko prodded the captain's chest with her forefinger. "You thought she was acting silly just as I did!"

"At least I didn't call her a 'nutjob'!" Tenchi yelled.

"_You're_ the nutjob, Tenchi!" Ryoko threatened. "She left us here to kill each other or starve to death! Well I'm not going to come in second place!" She picked up the lirpa and twirled it like a cheerleader's baton. "Come on Captain, time for your whuppin'!"

Tenchi gulped, then rolled to the ground to retrieve the second weapon and leapt back to his feet. "Now wait a…"

Tenchi never got a chance to finish his sentence. "Yah!" Ryoko cried as she hurled herself at him, the lirpa held over her head like a sword. She slashed down at him but he rolled to the side. "Hah!" She swung the awkward weapon from right to left and Tenchi ducked and backpedaled to give himself some maneuver room.

Ryoko swung again at him and when it looked like she left herself open the young captain took a chopping blow at her. But she blocked the strike with the pole section of the lirpa, showing the true capabilities of the Vulcan melee weapon. He pushed forward, trying to overpower her, but she was stronger than her slender frame would show.

The two combatants were face to face, each pushing at each other with their pole weapons. Tenchi's face was a grim mask of determination, while Ryoko displayed a cruel smirk. Suddenly, Ryoko flicked him away as if he was a child.

As he rolled on the ground, Tenchi was thankful for his teenage body. Before the transporter accident that gave him back his youth, he would be sore for days after a tumble like that. What his puny teenage form lacked in strength, it made up for it in speed, agility, and endurance.

"Wha-what?" he stammered as he scrambled to his feet.

Ryoko let out a girlish giggle. "I'm stronger than I look. I guess I work out."

"Yah!" Tenchi ran away. "Got to think of a plan…"

He glanced to the right to see the space pirate's smiling face. She was keeping up with him without even running, her feet levitating only inches above the ground. "You'll have to run faster than that…Earthling," she smirked.

"Hee-ya!" Tenchi swung his weapon at her as he skidded to a halt. Instead of connecting, the weapon swished through empty air as the pirate vanished in a brilliant flash. She reappeared a few feet away, leaning against the archaic weapon like a Victorian gentleman with a walking stick. So that's how she got in his room without opening the door!

With a shout appropriate for a samurai warrior, Ryoko took a slashing blow at him. Rip! The sleeve of his gold Starfleet sweater was torn clean off. They exchanged blows a second time, and this time she slashed a glancing blow to his chest. His shirt tore open, exposing one of his nipples. He lunged at her, but she flew and somersaulted over his head as nimble as Peter Pan. She slashed at his back before he could turn around and soon he had only one gold sleeve to support the tattered remains of his shirt.

"Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly. "What are you trying to do, kill me or strip me?"

Ryoko put her hand over her mouth and giggled again. "Was I that obvious?"

Tenchi blushed so hard that even his back grew red. "I can't believe this! Are all alien women such perverts?"

"Just the cute ones," Ryoko teased. "So now what? Do we fight it out or do we look for food, water and shelter?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Tenchi demanded. "You could kill me at any minute if I turn my back on you!"

Ryoko picked up a rock and crushed it with one hand. "I could kill you at any minute if you turn your front on me," she smiled. "Trust me, if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have to trick you." She turned and raised her hand at a nearby cliff. Reddish orange bolts of energy collected at her hand and shot out, scarring the cliff face and causing small chunks of rock to spray out.

Tenchi gulped again.

Ryoko raised her forefinger to her lips and blew across it like a gunfighter in the Old West. "C'mon, Tenchi, you're separated from Starfleet, from your planet, from your ship, from everyone. As long as it's just the two of us, wouldn't you rather have a _friend_ than an enemy?"

"Er, uh, all right," he nodded. What choice did he have? He gazed up at the sky.

"What's wrong now?" Ryoko asked, her face a mask of concern.

"I'm just thinking of my ship," he replied. "I hope they're okay."

"You're worried about them, aren't you?" Ryoko nodded. "Can't say that I blame you. Your first officer is a real space case."

"Commander Ayeka is a competent officer with a level head on her shoulders," Tenchi insisted. "I'm sure my ship is in good hands."

"Yeah right," Ryoko cruelly smirked. "I'll bet that idiot will run the ship into a sun just because!"

"No she won't!" Tenchi grumbled. "She is a mature, responsible officer!"

Meanwhile on the starship _Pioneer_, Ayeka had locked herself in a bathroom and was crying like a baby.

"Tenchi…" she whined as tears trickled down her cheeks. "Where is my Tenchi…?"

_Next: Ayeka In Charge _


	11. Ayeka In Charge

**Tenchi Trek **

_By Galaxy1001D_

**_Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi_ **

**_Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu_ **

**_Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka _**

**_Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami _**

**_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi_ **

**_Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone _**

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ **_Yosho_ **

**_Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers_ **

**_Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko_ **

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaski Kajishima_

_Chapter 11: Ayeka In Charge_

"Ship's log, Stardate 2007.96, Lieutenant Kiyone reporting. After confronting the space pirate Ryoko, a mysterious being calling herself 'Tsunami' has abducted the captain, presumably so that he and the space pirate can duel like the Romans of old."

From the captain's chair, Kiyone paused to view the bridge. Ensign Whiskers was back at her communications console, valiantly trying to do her job despite the fact that she couldn't pronounce any actual words. Midshipman Sasami was at sciences, peering into the hooded viewer to find some sign of the captain. Mihoshi was filing her nails at the helm station while humming a cheery tune. Kiyone didn't know whether to be angry or jealous at the blonde's attitude towards the crisis. She finally chose acceptance.

The bubble-headed blonde interrupted Kiyone's thoughts by turning in her chair to ask her a question. "Kiyone, why isn't Commander Ayeka on the bridge?" Mihoshi asked the teal-haired tactical officer. "Isn't she supposed to take command when the captain is unavailable?"

Kiyone laughed nervously as a tiny drop of sweat appeared at her temple. "She's…ah…working on a strategy with Lieutenant Washu," she replied with a forced breeziness to her voice. "They are in the war room working on a plan right now."

At that moment, Doctor Yosho was in the corridor of deck five bellowing into the communications console near the door to the first officer's personal quarters. "Please, Ayeka, don't cry…the ship needs you! I'm sure Tenchi is all right, just come out of there!"

"Go away!" came the choked sob from the speaker. "I don't w-want to talk to anyone!"

"Come on, Ayeka, you're the first officer!" Yosho pleaded. "It's an emergency! The ship needs you!"

"Go away!" Ayeka repeated. "That's an order!"

"As your doctor I'm ordering you to come to sick bay for a psychiatric examination!" he threatened.

"Excuse me," said a voice at the doctor's elbow. Yosho looked down to see Science Officer Washu. "This requires a woman's touch. She may respond to the delicate prodding of an understanding sister," the redhead offered.

"Certainly, Little Washu," the elderly doctor nodded. "Perhaps a fellow female can get through."

"Or at least a security override can get in," Washu finished as she typed a combination into the concealable console by the door. The door slid open and the diminutive redhead took a step into the room, and then turned and blocked Yosho's way. "I think I can handle this alone, Doctor," she said to him.

Yosho looked into Washu's eyes for a minute and then nodded again. "As you wish, but if you need me, I'll be right outside."

"That won't be necessary." Washu smiled but it did little reassure the old doctor. "We'll be fine. Trust me." The door slid closed and to Yosho's dismay, was again locked.

Washu turned to survey Ayeka's quarters. The carpet was thick enough to play hide and seek in. Drapes were on the walls to conceal the rather drab gunmetal color that permeated the _Pioneer_'s interior. When the first officer was on the bridge, it was easy to forget that she was Lydia Ayeka, the heir to Jurai plutocrats. Inside her quarters, however, the aristocratic Ayeka had paintings, statuettes, rare books and other tasteful works of art on display.

The aforementioned aristocrat was on a plush divan, in a voluminous and fancy pink robe and matching fuzzy slippers. The first officer was eating out of a tub a chocolate ice cream without bothering to serve herself a bowl. Her crimson eyes, normally so determined and beautiful, were puffy with crying and tear marks were still visible on her youthful face. Her luxurious purple hair was still perfectly coifed and bound in two long ponytails, though; that was a good sign.

"What are you doing in here?" Ayeka demanded. She sounded more like a little girl than the prim and proper first officer that the crew was accustomed to.

Washu put her hands on her hips and glared at her superior as if addressing a disobedient child. "I could ask you the same question. The captain is missing. It's time for you to step up."

"I know he's missing," Ayeka responded melodramatically wiping her eyes and letting the lilt of her upper-class accent provide pathos to her retort. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I should have been prepared. I should have done something. Oh Tenchi…Tenchi…"

"Snap out of it!" Washu seized the first officer by the lapels of her robes and slapped her across the face. "The crew is depending on you! You can't quit now!"

Ayeka put her hand to her face. "H-how dare you!" she stammered. "Striking a superior officer! You could be court-marshaled for this!"

"I don't see anyone in a uniform," the short scientist retorted. "All I see is a spoiled rich girl in her jammies feeling sorry for herself and eating ice cream."

"You!" Ayeka rose to her feet and glowered down at the redheaded lieutenant. "You have no idea of what I'm feeling!"

"It's not your place to feel!" Washu put her hands on her hips and stood on her tiptoes to face the lavender-hair lady eye to eye. "It's your place to act! It's your place to keep this ship together! Tenchi chose you to be his first officer, despite the fact that many thought you were too young and inexperienced to be is XO! He believed in you! And now you thank him by letting his ship go to pot!"

"I've struggled tooth and nail to keep this ship afloat ever since we left space dock!" Ayeka insisted. "If it wasn't for me, this ship would have collapsed into chaos a year ago!"

"It's collapsing into chaos _now_," said Washu levelly. "You need to take command of this vessel in Tenchi's absence. He's counting on you. We're all counting on you."

Ayeka shook her head and turned away. "It's not my ship…it's Tenchi's ship…" Her gaze fell to a collection of photographs on display. Each one featured Tenchi, either alone or with Ayeka, both before and after the transporter accident that turned him into a teenager.

"We have no way of contacting him," Washu was standing on the divan so she could whisper into her ear. "It's your ship now. If we are to help the captain, we need to free up Kiyone so she can do her job. We need someone to coordinate things so we can all do our jobs. We need _you_ to do _your_ job, get me? We need someone to _lead_!"

"Leave me alone!" Ayeka suddenly slapped Washu across the face, causing the redhead to lose her balance and tumble onto the floor.

"No I won't!" She said as rose to her feet and tackled the first officer.

"Get off of me!" Ayeka protested as she picked up the little science officer by the shoulders and slammed her body against the wall.

"No!" Washu kicked out with her legs and Ayeka fell back and doubled over. Washu seized that moment to pounce and jumped on Ayeka's back. Ayeka rose shakily to her feet as Washu put her arm around the first officer's neck and punched the purple-haired woman in the face. "Face your responsibilities!"

"Augh!" Ayeka put her hands on Washu's arm and slammed her back (and the attacking science officer) against the wall repeatedly until Washu let go and tumbled to the ground. "Why you!" She grabbed Washu by the ankles and spun her around the room, knocking over busts of Ayeka's ancestors, sake bottles and antiques with the scientist's body. Finally with a final swing, she released Washu to see her fly across the room and crash into a Japanese changing screen. "A-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Ayeka laughed cruelly.

Her laughter died when Washu emerged from the wreckage of the changing screen wielding a croquet mallet. "Yaugh!" The redhead hurled herself through the air swinging the mallet like a samurai with a katana.

"Eek!" Ayeka dodged in time to see her priceless Van Gogh painting get totaled by the mallet. "Ah!" The purple-haired woman backed away to see her mahogany coffee table smash into bits. "Oh!" The first officer tumbled out of the way as her bookcase full of valuable first edition tomes from ancient earth was struck by the angry science officer.

Finally, Washu overextended herself and Ayeka tackled her. They rolled on the floor struggling for dominance. "Get a grip, Ayeka!" Washu cried when Ayeka got the upper hand. "We need you to snap out of it!"

Ayeka gave no indication of having heard. She was staring at a picture of herself and a middle-aged James Jean-Luc Tenchi in formal uniforms. It was taken right after Tenchi's inauguration as commanding officer of the _Pioneer_, just two weeks before the accident that gave him a second childhood. Next to Tenchi was a young lady freshly promoted to lieutenant commander, her ancestral tiara peeking unobtrusively out of her lavender bangs. The woman in the photograph was just a year younger than Ayeka was now, and her red eyes shown with a pride and confidence that the older Ayeka envied.

"Ayeka!" Washu shouted. "Do you hear me?" How long had she been speaking to her? Ayeka didn't know. She released the science officer and retrieved her framed pictures from the floor and set them back on a shelf.

"I hear you," Ayeka's voice was low and cultured, not the high-pitched birdlike screech that the crew had endured ever since Ryoko came onboard, "and you're right. It's time to turn away from the past and face the future." Ayeka turned each picture around one by one. "I'm ready to take command!"

Washu was disgusted that on the back of each was _another_ photograph of Tenchi, some with Ayeka and some without. "Okay, get dressed and up on the bridge in fifteen minutes. I'll see if I can get Yosho to hide our bruises."

_Next: Ryoko Bares It All_


	12. Ryoko Bares It All

**Tenchi Trek**

_By Galaxy1001D_

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 12: Ryoko Bares It All_

"Captain's log, supplemental. The enigmatic being calling herself 'Tsunami' has stranded the space pirate Ryoko and myself on a barren world, without food, water or shelter."

Tenchi's log update was interrupted by Ryoko's mocking attempt to imitate his voice. "Captain's log, I'm so bored that I'd rather play with my miniature recorder than entertain a beautiful woman…"

"Ryoko!" he scolded as he erased his last entry. "Now I have to record it over again!"

"What's the point?" the entrancing outlaw shrugged. "There's nothing to report. There's just you, me, some weeds, some cliffs, and some smeggin' rocks!" She stopped her tirade when Tenchi hugged his body and shivered. "_Now_ what's wrong?"

"Not to complain, but some space pirate destroyed my shirt," Tenchi complained. "Every breeze that cuts through this canyon really bites into my skin."

"Okay, ya big baby," the space pirate retorted. "I'll fix your shirt." She handed him an intricate silver ring. "This ring can create new clothing out of the molecules of the clothes that you are wearing. Put the tattered remains of your shirt on and concentrate on the way your uniform is supposed to look."

Tenchi draped the golden tatters around his neck like a scarf and put on the ring. He closed his eyes and concentrated. "Nothing's happening," he muttered.

"C'mon, don't you earthlings have enough psychic power to fill up a silly putty egg?" Ryoko slapped his bare back causing him to make a high-pitched sound. "Concentrate Tenchi! Think about your uniform! You are on the bridge sitting in your chair like it's a throne…the buttons and controls are making annoying beeping sounds…"

Tenchi closed his eyes and his brow wrinkled in concentration. Suddenly his body was clothed in a white light. He was in a strange flowing white outfit with a green collar and a purple tunic. He wore a headband and black stripes marked his cheeks. Hanging from his shoulders were poofy white cotton balls. "What is this? Am I supposed to be some sort of Chinese acrobat?"

"Try again," Ryoko offered.

He closed his eyes again and the costume changed into his familiar uniform with the gold shirt and black pants. "Here," he said as he took off the ring and offered it to Ryoko. "You better take it back before I'm dressed in a Santa Claus suit."

"Would I get to sit on your lap if I was a good girl?" Ryoko teased as she took the ring and slipped in on her finger.

"Ryoko!" the captain scolded. "Stop that!"

"Okay, okay," the pirate said as she turned and strode out to a flat sunny part of the ravine. "Don't get your military underwear in a knot."

"Sorry," Tenchi shrugged. "I guess I'm a little on edge."

"That's okay," Ryoko smiled. "I can be a real bear sometimes." Suddenly she was covered in a white light and then she was covered in nothing at all. She was completely nude, with only an incredibly thick blue towel to hide all that she owned. Soon she wasn't even hidden by that as she spread the towel on the ground and lay down on it.

"Ryoko!" exclaimed a flustered Tenchi. "What are you doing?"

Ryoko relaxed with her arms behind her back, crossing her ankles idly and closing her eyes to avoid the sun's glare. "Well, since there's no food, and no sake, I'm going to have to recharge my energy from the sun."

"What?" Tenchi put his hands over his eyes so he could continue to face the naked woman.

"Don't be so embarrassed," Ryoko scolded. "Look, it takes a lot of energy to shoot plasma bolts, teleport, fly, and phase through solid objects. Find me a source of carbohydrates and I'll put my clothes back on!"

"You can phase through solid objects?" Tenchi uncovered his eyes. "Doh!" He blushed and turned his head quickly. Undisguised by clothing, Ryoko's lithe body was revealed to be as attractive as a supermodel's. If her torso was painted green it would have been appropriate for an Orion slave girl, thought by many to be the most irresistible in the universe. Tenchi kicked himself for obsessing over the pirate's breasts when there was so much more important things to think about. Like how uncomfortable his pants were getting at the moment.

"Hello!" called Ryoko's cheerful voice. "You must like what you don't see!"

Tenchi blushed a bright crimson and sat down with his back to the pirate so she wouldn't see his front. He prayed that his trousers wouldn't rip as easily as his shirt had.

"Now you're just being rude," Ryoko scolded. "If you're going to turn your back, why don't you sit closer to me so we can carry on a normal conversation?"

"Maybe I should continue to look for food, water, and shelter," he called back.

"We haven't had any luck in that direction so far," she pointed out. "Come back here and take a load off. There will be plenty of time to forage later."

"Okay." He took a deep breath and walked over to Ryoko, trying the entire time to gaze into the distance and keep his eyes from straying down to the beautiful buccaneer. The buccaneer who was buck-naked. "Damn these teen-age hormones," he muttered under his breath. He sat down directly behind the seductive cyan-haired siren and hugged his knees.

"Say, I've been meaning to ask you," Ryoko began.

"Only this once," Tenchi interrupted. "'I've been meaning to ask you.'"

"What?"

"Don't want you to think that I have no sense of humor," he smiled. He heard a quiet chuckle, and then felt the pirate leaning up against him. "What?" he gasped.

"I'm just giving you a back rest," Ryoko assured him. "Don't get bent out of shape. I won't bite…at least, not until you're in the mood for it."

Tenchi felt so hot under the collar that he was tempted to take off his gold shirt, but that would expose him to her naked back, and he couldn't trust himself if he did that. "So…um…what was your question?" he asked while trying to get his mind to work and his heart rate to slow down.

"How did a boy your age get command of a starship anyway?" Her wild greenish white hair tickled the back of his neck. "I mean, you are supposed to be the _senior_ officer, right?"

"I'm older than I look," he sighed.

"Well you'd have to be. You don't look much older than fifteen." There was an awkward silence and Tenchi shifted uncomfortably. "Nineteen!" Ryoko corrected. "You don't look older than _nineteen_!"

"Thanks," Tenchi shrugged sadly.

"So how old are you anyway?"

"I'm forty-seven," he sighed again.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "That's one hell of a face lift!"

"I had a transporter accident last year," he explained. "It erased the bits of data in my genes that keep track of my age or something. So now I'm growing up all over again."

"So, you're aging normally, it's just that the clock has been set back?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's it," Tenchi let out a breath and leaned back against the skyclad siren. "My guess is that I've got over three decades of extra time added to my life."

"You lucky dog, you!" Ryoko giggled. "You get what most people would kill for! Extra time to live your life all over again! To try the path not taken!" Tenchi felt her back wiggling with excitement against his. "So tell me, what are you going to do with your extra years?"

"I don't know," Tenchi admitted. "All my life I've wanted to be a starship captain…"

"That's it?" The pirate sounded disappointed. "You never had any other hopes and dreams?"

"It takes a lot of dedication to get to this point you know," Tenchi insisted. "It takes a special kind of person to take the responsibility that comes with command over people's destinies…"

"I guess that's why starship captains are so sexy, even if they _are_ sticks-in-the-mud." Ryoko mused. "Power is sexy. There's no two ways about it." Her tone changed to a scold as she glanced over her shoulder at the adolescent captain. "Still, there is such a thing as getting stuck in a rut. You've got to be the most sexually repressed person I've ever met. You've got a ship full of girls hot after your body and you hold them all at arms length. You're marooned on a planet with a beautiful woman and all you can think about is getting back into your uniform. For a guy who can play god aboard his starship, you really enjoy putting on the shackles, you know?"

Tenchi was about to retort with a comment about power and responsibility, but instead he held his breath for about ten seconds. He let it out slowly and said, "You're probably right."

"C'mon, you find me at least a little cute, don't you?" Ryoko hugged her legs.

"Ryoko, I find you irresistible," The words were out of Tenchi's mouth before he could stop them; right now he just felt too tired. It was amazing how much energy he could expend just sitting still leaning against a naked woman.

"You sure know how to hide it!" Ryoko's accusation gave the boy a jolt of adrenaline. "You act like I've got the plague or something!"

"No, its not that," Tenchi shook his head. "The problem is that I can't trust myself in a teenage body. Ever since my accident I've become such a pervert! Do you know what it's like to want somebody so bad it hurts? That's what it's like being a teenage boy commanding a bridge filled with beautiful women."

"There's nobody around _now_," Ryoko insisted. "What's your problem?"

"I-I guess I've held myself in check so long that I don't know how to release myself," he mused. "You're right. I cling to this uniform like a suit of armor. I don't know how to relax."

"Yeah," Ryoko sighed, then changed the subject. "So what were you like when you were in your forties? Were you bald and flabby or what?"

"Nope," Tenchi smiled as he shook his head. "I was really built! And I had a great head of hair too. I kept myself in great shape. It took years in the gym to build a physique like that, but now I have to start all over." He glanced over his shoulder at Ryoko and chuckled. "I guess I wouldn't be as embarrassed about being naked. Last year I was quite a man."

"You still are," Ryoko glanced back to meet his gaze. Her face had lost the predatory nature that defined the space pirate's features, replaced by an expression of gentleness and understanding. They smiled at each other for almost a minute before they turned their heads to gaze into the distance.

"I really envy you," Tenchi said, breaking the silence. "You are so free. The space pirate Ryoko, maybe the most liberated woman in the galaxy. You do what you want and defy what society expects without care." He chuckled self-consciously. "I, on the other hand, have devoted myself to rules and regulations. Since my accident I'm so afraid of endangering my career that I'm passing up chances to enrich my life beyond my wildest dreams. I mean, look at us. Here I am in my uniform while you are so free, not even clothing restricts you! We make quite a pair, the outlaw and the starship captain."

"Are all Starfleet captains that profound?" Ryoko asked with a mocking sweetness.

"It's a required course at Command School," Tenchi replied. "Every starship captain is expected to be able to philosophize and consider the deeper meanings of our actions. It's supposed to help us understand new civilizations and contemplate the repercussions of our actions."

"You've got that part down pat," Ryoko smirked, then her voice softened. "Still Tenchi, too much of a good thing can be as bad as too little."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean total freedom means no ties. No obligations. No friends, just contacts. It's a pretty lonely life."

"How did you get such lonely life, anyway, if you don't mind my asking?" Tenchi's voice had become quiet and gentle. "I mean, now that I've gotten to know you, you don't seem to be the criminal type. How did you get to be a space pirate?"

"I've never thought of myself as a space pirate; I've just been a girl in trouble with the law." Ryoko gazed out into the distance and took a deep breath. "I grew up in an orphanarium on Jurai; I never knew who my parents were. The Jurai plutocrats had allowed it to be constructed in the back of the Ayeka family's extravagant gardens to show how caring and thoughtful they were." At that last comment, the pirate's voice had a touch of bitterness.

"I never really fit in with the other kids," she admitted. "I used to hop the fence and play in the Ayeka family's gardens. I could lose myself in all that beauty and let my imagination roam…" her voice sounded sad, then the bitterness returned. "Until some purple-haired brat ratted on me! She was so mean! She acted as if I was an invader and that she was a princess or something!"

"Yeah, kids can be cruel," Tenchi nodded.

"It wasn't long before I escaped from the orphanarium and struck out on my own. I opened a pottery booth to raise money, but the Jurai plutocrats closed that down too. It was the same brat from the Ayeka family…grrr!"

"The _Ayeka_ family?" Tenchi suddenly paid close attention to her story. This explained why the pirate was so rude to his first officer!

"Yeah…thanks to them I got sent back to the orphanarium until I was a teenager. Then I got a job at a hotel on Risa cleaning rooms. I tell you, the customers there thought they were royalty or something; they treated me like a slave! But when I was out on the ocean I felt so…happy. It was so quiet…how I envied those born into privilege! That's when I decided to walk my own path, to make my own rules! I was sick of people in power telling me what to do and lording it over me! I was sick of being the little guy, from now on I'd follow my own rules, and to hell with anyone else's! The only one who would look out for me, was me, and I'd look out for number one!" Ryoko was quiet for a moment. The silence was deafening after her outburst. When she finally spoke her voice was much softer. "The only problem with being number one is…there usually isn't a number two. Being number two wouldn't be that bad…then I wouldn't be alone."

"I guess I can relate," he nodded. "Cliché as it sounds, it's lonely at the top. The problem with being number one is that one is singular, as in only one. We work hard at gaining power and freedom, only to discover that loneliness is the price…" A thought occurred to him. "If people with power and privilege irritate you, what do you see in me? I can't think of a more overbearing example than a starship captain."

"You aren't like most people," Ryoko smiled gently. "You give everyone a chance, whether it's a girl in suspicious circumstances, a ditzy incompetent helmswoman, a transporter operator who's too young for her job or an overbearing, anal-retentive brat who's too young to be first officer. You are humble and generous, and gallant in your own quiet way. When you take the arrogance way from the power it's quite sexy."

"I never thought of it that way." Was that why so many of his female officers seemed to be interested him? Or did they find it kinky for their captain to resemble a teenager? They were quiet for a moment, then Tenchi spoke again. "I'm curious. How did you get your super powers anyway? I mean, teleportation? Flying? Energy bolts? Can every Burchardian do that?"

"No," Ryoko admitted. "I guess I'm just special."

"So what happened?"

"I was part of a top-secret government experiment to create the ultimate super-soldier," she sighed. "They took people without families in case something went wrong…"

"What?" Tenchi gasped. "You're kidding right? Top-secret government experiments? Are you making this up?"

Ryoko laughed self-consciously. "Yeah."

"Thought so," Tenchi crossed his arms.

"I guess I was born with them," Ryoko admitted. "You know how most people have a double helix DNA?"

"Yes…" Tenchi wasn't sure were this was going.

"I've got a quadruple helix," Ryoko confessed. "The genetic specialist says that my genes are too organized to be random. It looks like I've been genetically augmented. I've got no idea who did it or when it happened. It could have happened before I was born. It was after I saw the specialist that I became a pirate. I feel so violated!"

Tenchi took a chance and glanced behind him. Ryoko was wearing a green gown with a high collar. Over the gown was pink tunic bound with a black belt. She was hugging her bare legs that peeked out of the slash in the front of her outfit. There was a good chance that this story was true; Ryoko didn't feel comfortable anymore. To lighten the mood he asked her, "Out of all those stories you told me, which ones were lies, and which ones were the truth?"

Ryoko turned to smile at Tenchi. "Why Tenchi, they were all true."

"Even the lies?"

"Especially the lies."

_Next: Ship-shape_


	13. Shipshape

**Tenchi Trek**

_By Galaxy1001D_

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 13: Ship-shape_

Meanwhile, aboard the _Pioneer_, First Officer Lydia Ayeka was in her office going over all information about the dread pirate Ryoko. "Aha! I knew it!"

"Huh?" Science Officer Washu asked from her chair and her laptop. "What did you know?"

"I thought that woman looked familiar!" Ayeka's voice held a hostile triumph. "I knew that I've seen her before!"

"You've seen whom before?" Washu asked. "Tsunami or Ryoko?"

"Ryoko," sneered Ayeka. "When I was a little girl she snuck into my family's private gardens to torment me. Then a few years later at a carnival she stole my wallet! When I was a teenager she ruined my vacation at Risa! This woman has been pure bad since the day she was born!"

"And now the captain is probably trapped with her," Washu's matter-of-fact tone made her voice strangely deep. "Not good."

"Tenchi was too soft on that woman," Ayeka thought out loud. "It's time this ship goes from a science vessel to a warship. That means military discipline for the officers and crew. Let's go to the bridge!"

"Aye, aye, Commander," Washu nodded.

On the bridge things were relatively quiet as the officers on duty were scanning the area in search of their captain.

"Ship's log, supplemental, Lieutenant Kiyone reporting. It's been hours since the captain was abducted. We are continuing our sensor sweep of the solar system…"

Suddenly the doors to the bridge hissed open. Lieutenant Commander Lydia Ayeka was in the elevator in full dress uniform. She marched in carrying an antique riding crop and surveyed the room with poorly disguised distaste. Doctor Katsuhito Yosho in his civilian white medical robes was filling in at sciences. His gray ponytail hung over his shoulder as he peered into the hooded viewer at the science station. Lieutenant Barbie Mihoshi was reading the latest copy of Interstellar Soap Opera Digest and blowing bubble gum. Sitting to her right at the Ops/Tactical station was Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami who had placed a thick book on her chair so she could reach the controls easier. To the direct left of the elevator doors Lieutenant Washu paused at the Engineering/Power Allocation station to monitor the _Pioneer_'s interior systems. At the Communications console, Ensign Whiskers was licking the back of her wrist and rubbing it over her head repeatedly in a catlike fashion.

"Atten…SHUN!" The purple-haired first officer cried. Everybody one the bridge started at the sudden outburst. Mihoshi, Kiyone, Sasami, Yosho, and Washu jumped to their feet, clicked their heels together and gave a snappy salute. Ensign Whiskers got up too fast and lost her balance, giving a feline yowl as she tumbled to the floor.

"I leave the bridge for six hours and I find it a shambles!" Ayeka cried. "You are a disgrace to Starfleet! I would be _ashamed_ if Captain Tenchi returned and found his bridge like this! You call yourselves Starfleet officers! You wouldn't last long as truant officers! While the captain is gone _I_ am in command and from now on we will do things by the book! Do I a make myself clear?" Silence. "Do I make myself clear?" she repeated testily.

"Yes ma'am! Clear, ma'am!" they chorused.

"Good," Ayeka nodded. "When we find Captain Tenchi, he is going to see a ship that he can be proud of." She turned her attention to the science station. "Doctor Yosho! That haircut is not regulation and you are out of uniform! That kind of lefty-pinko-shinto stuff may be fine for civilian life, but on this ship we expect our chief medical officer to be in uniform and not look like an aging rock star! Return to your quarters and put on a fresh uniform, then report to the ship's barber to get your hair cut immediately!"

Yosho snorted with derision but saluted, and muttered "Yes Commander," and left the bridge.

Ayeka turned her attention to "Lieutenant Mihoshi, no chewing gum on duty, and certainly not on the bridge! Swallow that gum immediately!"

"Yes ma'am," Mihoshi stammered nervously. She swallowed her gum with a noisy gulping sound and then started to gasp and choke. The other women on the bridge watched her until Kiyone stepped behind Mihoshi, put her arms around the blonde and gave her the Heimlich maneuver.

Ayeka flinched as a pink gob of bubble gum stuck to her right cheek. "Eww," Struggling to maintain her composure she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and put on a pair of white gloves that she retrieved from a pocket hidden on her uniform. She plucked the offending wad of gum from her face and inspected it with distaste. Finally she held it away from her body with her thumb and forefinger. "Midshipman Sasami, dispose of this immediately," she ordered.

"Yes Commander," Sasami replied as she took the gum and marched away.

With military precision, Ayeka wiped her cheek with a white handkerchief. "All right, ladies," Ayeka voice was back in command mode. "I want the crew assembled on the rec deck at twenty hundred hours! For the duration of this crisis, we are going to turn this group of liberal wishy-washy touchie-feely scientists and explorers into a precision military instrument!" She nodded once in satisfaction. "That is all, ladies: dismissed!" The first officer clicked her heels and left the bridge.

"Oh boy…" groaned Washu.

"Twenty hundred hours?" chirped Mihoshi. "That gives us plenty of time to get ready! Twenty hundred hours? How many days is that, Kiyone?"

"She means eight pm, Mihoshi," said a deflated Kiyone.

"Eight pm?" the blonde exclaimed. "That's in less than an hour! Oh my! Oh my!"

At twenty hundred hours, all four hundred and thirty members of the _Pioneer_'s crew (minus the captain) were assembled for inspection. The department heads were lined up behind Ayeka, and the rest of the crew were standing facing the officers as if in a great auditorium. Over the intercom, a military drum march was playing softly.

Doctor Yosho looked uncomfortable in his blue shirted Starfleet uniform. His normally long hair was cut short and Kiyone couldn't help but stare at his triangular sideburns. At least he still had his mustache. The look on his face could best be described as irritation.

Washu and Sasami stood on either side of Ensign Whiskers, providing support when necessary to the humanoid feline who still had trouble standing on two feet. Whiskers kept her posture ramrod straight to avoid tipping over.

Mihoshi was actually in a pressed uniform for once, standing at attention with a serious look on her face that seemed completely foreign to the normally bubble-headed blonde.

Kiyone had discarded her red headband and bound her bluish-green hair in a beehive with a ponytail, as per standard Starfleet regulations. Since the captain's abduction, Ayeka's nitpickiness had intensified to an incredible degree.

Ayeka was still in her formal uniform and still carried her riding crop, but she had added an American World War Two era army helmet with three gold stars on it to her ensemble. With her hands clasping her riding crop behind her back she marched up and down through the rows of crewmen eyeing them critically.

She stopped at a young auburn-haired woman with a bandage wrapped around her head wincing in pain. "What's your name soldier?" Ayeka snapped.

Lieutenant Cassandra Kiyone, ever at her first officer's side answered for her. "Haruna, ma'am, Ensign Camille Haruna. She's the officer in charge of emergency evacuation systems."

Ayeka sneered and put her face only inches from the pretty young ensign's. "Well, ensign, the crew of the _Pioneer_ don't abandon their ship under any circumstances, do you hear me? The _Pioneer_ doesn't surrender to anyone! We either get the job done or go down fighting! Have you no pride, Haruna? Don't you want to get the captain back?"

Taken aback by her superior officer's strange behavior, Ensign Haruna could only stare in disbelief.

"Don't eyeball me, Haruna," Ayeka growled. "Get on the floor and give me fifteen, NOW!"

Hesitantly, Ensign Haruna knelt to the floor and began her pushups.

Ayeka paused to glare at a tall stately brunette woman. Kiyone introduced her to the purple-haired first officer. "Funaho, Chief Petty Officer Sharon Funaho, ma'am," the teal-haired tactical officer announced.

Ayeka stopped before a tall man whose black hair was cut in bangs. His pointed ears betrayed his extraterrestrial origins. A black patch covered his left eye.

"Mister Suvok of Vulcan," Kiyone announced.

"There are only two kinds from Vulcan," growled Ayeka as she stood on tiptoes to glare into his eye, "steers and queers. Which are you, boy?"

"Moving hastily on," Kiyone gulped. "Huh?" She looked around as Ayeka went back to Ensign Haruna.

"Say," Ayeka glared directly into Haruna's eye. "Aren't you the ghost girl that kidnapped Tenchi in the third _Tenchi Muyo_ movie?"

Kiyone spoke up on behalf of the terrified girl. "Well, it is true that Haruna was Yosho's deceased love in the movie _Tenchi Forever_. The movie was symbolized the frailty of life and the existential nature of the universe…"

"Well Haruna," Ayeka taunted cruelly, "we don't like existentialists here, and we certainly don't need ghosts from the past ponceying around here in their little red miniskirts seducing Jurai princes and whisking them away to suburban neighborhoods where their life force can be drained to fuel an alternate universe and fill their heads with their theories on the bleakness of existence and the absurdity of the cosmos, clear?"

Haruna winced. She gulped nervously and nodded her head.

"Did I tell you to stop doing push-ups?" Ayeka screeched. "Get on the ground! Get going!"

As the hapless ensign continued to do her assigned exercises, Ayeka strode imperiously to the front of the assembly to address her crew.

"Well, you are certainly the worst group of Star Fleet officers and crewmen that I've ever had the misfortune to clap my eyes on! You're a total shambles! If we are _ever_ going to get the captain back, _someone_ is going to have to turn you into soldiers! And that someone, ladies and gentlemen, is me! Over to you, Kiyone!"

Kiyone blanched in horror as the purple-haired first officer strode away. Ayeka could be short-tempered and demanding, but never like this! She feared that the captain's abduction had eaten away at the first officer's sanity until there was nothing left but a megalomaniac.

Ayeka marched past the red-headed ensign who was struggling at her push-ups. "I'm watching you, Haruna," the first officer softly growled.

_Next: Tears of a Pirate _


	14. Tears of a Pirate

**Tenchi Trek **

_By Galaxy1001D_

**_Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi_ **

**_Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu_ **

**_Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka _**

**_Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami _**

**_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi_ **

**_Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone _**

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ **_Yosho_ **

**_Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers_ **

**_Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko_ **

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 14: Tears of a Pirate_

"We did it, Tenchi! We found water!" Ryoko exclaimed.

"Not so fast, Ryoko," the young captain admonished. "First we have to boil it."

"Oh, yeah," murmured the cyan-haired siren, "I forgot. We gotta boil out the impurities, right?"

"Any time you're ready," Tenchi nodded.

"Here goes." A bright orange light appeared in Ryoko's hand and coalesced into a beam that struck the stone under a canteen. The hot vapor traveled up the rubber tubing and empted into a second canteen that was sealed to the end of the tube. "It's working! We're saved!"

"I couldn't have done it without you," Tenchi smiled. That refresher course on planetary survival that he took at the academy sure came in handy. It turned out that finding the water wasn't the hard part, but finding containers to purify it was. In the end they used Ryoko's ring to turn their clothes into outfits that had accessories they could use. The canteens came from Earth's American twenty-first century infantry field uniforms. The tubing and rubber were taken from a Rigellian scuba suit.

Tenchi was dressed in twenty-first century combat fatigues and Ryoko was in a formfitting wetsuit. Tenchi thought it was a wetsuit. Now it looked more like a catsuit, a tight outfit that hugged every curve of the pirate's lithe body and left very little to the imagination. Tenchi suspected that she changed clothing when he wasn't looking.

They shared the water from the canteen once it cooled down and watched the sun of the barren world set. Ryoko put her head on Tenchi's shoulder. Tenchi broke the silence by asking, "So why did you rob the freighter, anyway?"

"What?"

"Why rob a freighter full of liquor anyway? Did you plan to sell any of it, or just drink yourself to death?" He held her hand and continued to lean against her.

Ryoko emitted a wry giggle and pondered the question for a moment. "I was thirsty, and I didn't feel like paying for it."

"You were thirsty?" The concern on Tenchi's voice was noticeable. "Ryoko, you drank enough booze to kill an army."

Another humorless chuckle. "I was _really_ thirsty."

"I guess so," Tenchi didn't seem convinced.

"Hey, it takes a lot of fuel to power me up," she insisted. "Fermented sugars are a fun way to do it. I can power up and get smashed at the same time."

Tenchi refused to let it go. "You were in critical condition when we found you," he scolded. "I think that you drunk more than your body could handle."

"It's the only way to get hammered," Ryoko dismissed. "I gotta drink more than my body can convert at any one time or there's no buzz."

"Do you do this often?" Tenchi asked. "Have a party where no one is invited?"

"Hey, what is this?" Ryoko asked testily. "An intervention?"

"You could call it that," Tenchi said. "Ryoko, I'm worried about you."

"Aww," Ryoko cooed. "That's so sweet…I knew that you liked me!" She put her arms around him. "Do you like me in…that way?" Mischief had returned to her voice.

"Yes," Tenchi sighed. "There's no point denying it anymore."

"Well you don't have to sound so depressed about it!" Ryoko pushed him away and gave his shoulder a light slap. "There's got to be a less insulting way to say 'I love you'. I thought that you were afraid to mess around with the girls under your command. I'm not a crewmember! What's the big deal?"

"No offence, Ryoko," Tenchi muttered, "but I don't think that dating a wanted criminal is going to help my career either."

"Oh…right," Ryoko giggled self-consciously. "Guess playing patty-cake with your officers would be better, huh?"

"Are you changing the subject?" Tenchi asked.

"That depends," said Ryoko, "what was the subject again?"

"What's with the heavy drinking?" Tenchi sounded like a parent scolding a child. "You can't say that you're a social drinker; there was no one else on your spaceship."

"Pirates drink," Ryoko shrugged. "It's a fact of life."

"I thought that you weren't a pirate," Tenchi insisted. "You're just a girl who's in trouble with the law."

"Yeah," came the woman's embarrassed giggle.

"Ever since you saw that genetic specialist you've become a high-profile criminal haven't you?" said the captain. "It was after you discovered your genetic augmentation that you became really self-destructive wasn't it?"

Ryoko hugged her legs and answered only with silence.

"With your super powers, you've never actually had to kill anyone during your crimes, but you spend your life either evading the police or drinking yourself silly." Tenchi put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you trying to kill yourself? Death by alcohol or death by cop?"

Ryoko pushed him away and hugged her legs harder. Tenchi could see her entire body quiver.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to pry, I'm just worried about you. Don't shut me out. Ryoko…Ryoko!"

"You don't care about me!" The pirate shouted. "No one cares about me! I'm a genetically augmented mutant who's a curse on the galaxy! I'm the freak who's unique! You just want to cut me up and see how I work!" The pirate's body was wracked with sobs.

Tenchi gathered his courage and put his arms around her. "No I don't and you know that," he said gently. "You're not alone, Ryoko. You don't have to be."

Fortunately the woman didn't push him away. On the contrary, she hugged him tightly and cried on his shoulder. "Oh Tenchi, what am I going to do?" she sobbed. "I've really dug myself a hole and I don't know how to get out of it! I'm gonna be on the run for the rest of my life!"

"You don't have to be," He hugged her gently and spoke softly in her ear. "It's not too late to turn your life around. You can turn yourself in and get a light sentence. I can use my influence to get you a good lawyer."

"Who are you kidding, Tenchi?" she again pushed him away and rubbed at her eyes. "I can't take prison!"

"Hey, it's not like that anymore," Tenchi replied. "Penal colonies aren't prisons like they were back when I was your age, they're hospitals now."

Ryoko blinked in confusion, then guffawed in embarrassed laughter. She had completely forgotten that James Jean-Luc Tenchi was technically older than her.

Tenchi used the momentary levity to press his argument. "These days penal colonies are hospitals for those who can't fit into society. They find the root of your criminal impulses and treat them. I know a real good one ran by Simon Van Gelder, he's one of the best in the field."

"I don't want to be a guinea pig, Tenchi," Ryoko shook her head.

"You won't be a guinea pig, you'll be a patient," Tenchi insisted. "Look, if it makes you feel better, consider it getting off with an insanity plea." He smiled conspiratorially.

Ryoko crossed her arms. "I heard that they've got a gadget that messes with your mind."

"They only use that on truly violent cases," Tenchi assured her. "You aren't violent. As far as I know, you've never hurt anyone."

"I don't like it," Ryoko looked away.

"C'mon, Ryoko," Tenchi cajoled her. "You're destroying yourself. You need help. You can either pay a whole bunch of money to get the help you need, or…" He smiled as she turned to look at him. "…you can get it for free with the state footing the bill. At the same time you can get the police off your back and a chance to start your life over, what do you say?"

"Humph," Ryoko hugged herself and had an irritated look on her face.

"All it will cost you is time," Tenchi continued, "and with good behavior and a good lawyer, it probably won't be that long, either. C'mon, at least tell me you'll think about it."

"I'll think about it," she grumbled, "but tell me, will there be anybody waiting for me when I get out?"

"Count on it," Tenchi nodded. "I'll write to you all the time. Maybe you can help me with _my_ problem." Tenchi looked away and blushed. "And maybe my body will have matured enough so that I won't be so embarrassed about showing it off."

They both laughed. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Ryoko smiled. "If I take too long with my therapy, some other girl just might snatch you up."

"You know that I'll make it a challenge for them." Tenchi assured her.

Ryoko laughed. "Yeah, you will." She gazed into his eyes. "Just make sure that you don't solve your problem before I solve mine, okay?"

"Deal."

_Next: Full Speed Ahead _


	15. Full Speed Ahead

**Tenchi Trek**

_By Galaxy1001D_

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 15: Full Speed Ahead_

Night fell on the two castaways who had been stranded on a deserted planet by the omnipotent being known as 'Tsunami.'

"Hey Tenchi?" Ryoko had her arms around the youthful captain.

"Yes Ryoko?" he murmured in her ear.

"If I'm going to turn myself in, don't I at least get a kiss?" she purred.

"Ryoko, I don't want to take advantage of you," he blushed. "I'm forty-seven."

"It looks like _I'm_ taking advantage of _you_," she snickered, and then her voice became high pitched like a child's. "C'mon Tenchi, I'm giving up my freedom. Don't I get a _little_ love and affection before I'm restricted to scheduled conjugal visits?"

Tenchi turned bright red and Ryoko was afraid he'd pull away from her. "Ryoko I--"

She silenced him by pressing her mouth against his.

The feeling was electric. Tenchi had never allowed himself to become physically close to a woman since his transporter accident last year. His teenage body couldn't cope with the hormones and endorphins running through his system. He began to feel dizzy as the blood rushed out of his head and into his loins, but the sensation of her mouth on his, her body crushed up against him, came through crystal clear. Yesterday, if anyone would have told him that the inside of someone's mouth would taste this good, he would have laughed, but now it was all he could concentrate on, all that he wanted. His arms hugged and caressed her body seemingly of their own accord, for Tenchi couldn't perceive anything but the lips and tongue of the lovely woman who had her arms around him.

It seemed like the sky lit up as their mouths explored each other… Wait a second! Something really was lighting up! A majestic woman appeared in a blue shower of sparks. Her blue hair blew in the breeze and her pink eyes matched her gentle smile.

"Moo-ah! Moo-ah!" Tenchi struggled to escape Ryoko's grasp. "Tsunami!"

"What?" Ryoko was momentarily angered at Tenchi's crying out another woman's name during their moment of passion, then she glanced behind her. The incredibly powerful super being known as 'Tsunami' seemed to be lit from within. No shadows fell on her smooth and beautiful face. In truth, despite the fact that the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon the mysterious entity provided enough light to read by.

"I see that your conflict has been resolved," Tsunami's voice held the barest hint of mirth. "You have resolved your differences with mercy, compassion, and understanding, traits that I hardly expected you to have. It seems that you two do have virtues worth preserving after all. Captain, I restore power to your ship. I will even give your crew your coordinates so they will be able to retrieve you. That will take them far away from Druidia before their savage impulses cause more damage."

"Ooh!" Ryoko jumped to her feet. "Are you going to return us to our ships?"

Tsunami shook her head. "I'm sorry, but if I did that you would be tempted to resume your conflict at the expense of those around you. This way Captain Tenchi's ship will go far away from my world and the two of you can continue to bond. In the meantime, I will provide you with provisions and accessories that will make your stay here more comfortable."

She spread her arms and dazzling blue sparks filled the air. Two small tents, two sleeping bags, an archaic water cooler with little paper cups and a pile of packages appeared in the area. A campfire appeared in front of her as an afterthought.

Tsunami picked up one of the packages and offered it to Tenchi. "These are called 'MRE's' or 'Meals Ready to Eat'. They were the standard meal rations for soldiers of the era that matches your uniform." Tenchi glanced down at his twenty-first century army uniform that he had changed to earlier that day. Tsunami ignored his embarrassment. "They should provide for your nutritional needs until your ship arrives here, captain."

"Thanks Tsunami," Tenchi took the MRE out of her hand, "and I don't just mean the food either. Thanks for giving us the chance to resolve this peacefully, before anybody got hurt." Tsunami eyed him critically. "Before any sentient mammalian bipeds got hurt, I mean!" he corrected himself.

Tsunami smiled again and lowered her head in the smallest of bows. "You're welcome, captain. You are still half-savage, but you hold great potential. I look forward to seeing how your species progresses. But, please, steer clear of Drudia, at least for a thousand years."

"Ha!" Ryoko exclaimed. "You won't see me within fifty light-years of that place!" The pirate gulped self-consciously. "I mean, see you in a thousand years!" She smiled and waved in an exaggerated way.

Tsunami gently chuckled. "Good-bye. Don't give up trying to be more than you are…" She faded away like a ghost. "Farewell."

In orbit around the planet Druidia, the starship _Pioneer_ was restored to full power.

Running through the corridor on deck six, Kiyone led a group of junior officers and enlisted females including Haruna, Mihoshi, Sakuyka, Sasami, and Washu. Phaser rifles were clutched in their hands as they dashed through the halls in a half-march, half-jog. Kiyone once again wore her headband, and all of the women behind her wore black trousers and tee shirts colored according the girl's department. Kiyone was singing in a half chant, half yodel.

"We are young and we are mean…!" the tactical officer chanted.

"We are Ayeka's death machine!" the girls chorused behind her.

"All we do is kill and play…!" Kiyone howled.

"We love at night and fight all day!" The ladies sang together.

"Hey! Ha! Hey-ha-hee!" Kiyone and her squad chanted as they jumped over imaginary obstacles. "Hey! Ha! Hey-ha-hee!"

"Commander Ayeka's death machine…….Yeah!" They came to their big finish. The women were silenced when Kiyone's wristwatch gave a series of electronic chirps.

Kiyone pushed a tiny button on her watch. "Kiyone here."

Commander Ayeka's voice could barely be heard over the girls' heavy breathing. "Lieutenant Kiyone, power has been restored to the _Pioneer_. Get the bridge crew to their stations immediately."

"We're on our way," Kiyone nodded even though Ayeka couldn't see her.

Mihoshi grabbed Kiyone's wrist before the teal-haired tactical officer could stop her. "Oh can we hit the showers and put on fresh uniforms on our way there? Pleeeeese?"

"All right!" came the first officer's irritated reply. "Just get here, all right? Sheesh!"

Less than half an hour later, Kiyone, Washu, Sasami and Sakuya joined Ayeka and Ensign Whiskers on the bridge.

"First Officer's log, Stardate 2007.97. Power has been restored to the _Pioneer_, and in addition the being calling herself 'Tsunami' has provided us with the captain's coordinates."

On the main viewscreen was an image of the azure-haired Tsunami. "To the savage and barbaric crew of the _Pioneer_," said the prerecorded super being, "your captain and the space pirate have demonstrated compassion and understanding. By their own choice, a battle to the death has been rendered unnecessary. I have restored your ship's power and provided you with coordinates to your captain's location."

"I just said that," Ayeka snapped irritably.

Tsunami stuck her tongue out and then her image was replaced with a view of the planet Druidia against an infinite sea of stars.

"Gee," Midshipman Sasami smiled innocently. "That's great that Tenchi and Ryoko could become such good friends and all!"

"She never said they were friends," Ayeka squirmed in the command chair.

"I think it would be great if they became boyfriend and girlfriend!" Sasami gushed. "Don't you think that would be great Ryo-oh-ki?" The blue-haired child put a hand over her mouth. "Excuse me, _Ensign Whiskers,_" she corrected herself.

Whiskers purred in agreement.

"They certainly will not!" Ayeka exploded as she leapt from her chair. "Captain Tenchi would never consort with a woman of such loose morals! He's too fine an officer to cavort with a common criminal! Just because the two of them are stranded together on a deserted planet with no one around…" Her voice trailed off and he crimson eyes became wide with horror. "I will not allow it!" she cried.

The silence on the bridge was deafening. All that could be heard was the blinking and chirping of various monitors, controls, and readouts.

"Ahem," Ayeka sat back down cleared her throat, and straightened her uniform. "Lieutenant Mihoshi, set course for…hey! Where _is_ Lieutenant Mihoshi anyway?"

At that moment the doors to the elevator hissed open and a tall flustered blonde scrambled into the room as she tied her dripping wet hair in a ponytail. "I'm late!" Mihoshi cried. "I'm late! Oh my! I'm sorry!" Her uniform was sticking to her dripping wet body, but there were no men or homosexual women on the bridge to appreciate it. "Really? Are you sure there's no homosexual women on the bridge?" Mihoshi asked. "Not even Kiyone?"

"No!" a red-faced Kiyone bellowed.

"Not even Ayeka?" Mihoshi put a finger to her bottom lip and stared at the ceiling. "A lot of the fights in _Tenchi Universe_ and the _Pretty Sammy OAV_'s seem like flirting."

"Certainly not!" huffed an indignant Ayeka. "Lieutenant Mihoshi, get back into character and set course for the system whose coordinates are on your navigation computer immediately!"

"Yes ma'am!" Mihoshi sat at her helm station and started pushing buttons (with just her forefingers).

Ayeka gripped the armrests of the command chair as if it was a throne. "All right! Yeoman Sakuya, do we have power for warp speed?"

"Power has been allocated, Commander," came the enlisted girl's response.

"Lieutenant Mihoshi, engage the warp drive!" Ayeka ordered.

"Aye-aye Commander," Mihoshi nodded. "Full speed ahead!"

Suddenly, the _Pioneer_ shot _backwards_ through space and entered Druidia's atmosphere. Caught by the planet's atmosphere, it careened over the surface leaving a trail of destruction behind it. Water rushed up into the air as the starship shot over the seas. Soil, rock, and vegetation were uprooted as it catapulted overland.

On the bridge all of the women screamed incoherently except Mihoshi who shrieked, "Oh my! What do I do? What do I do?"

In less time than it takes to tell the _Pioneer _broke free of Drudia's gravity and shot into the sky like a photon torpedo.

"Mihoshi you idiot!" Ayeka squealed. "I've had it! You've endangered this ship for the last time! Turn in your uniform--" Her voice died when the stars on the screen vanished to reveal Tsunami's angry visage. "Eek!" cried the first officer. "I take it back! Get us out of here and all is forgiven! Hurry!"

And once again, the _USS Pioneer_ shot into the distance, vanishing a flurry of special effects.

_Next: Friends Don't Let Friends Wear Red_


	16. Friends Don't Let Friends Wear Red

**Tenchi Trek**

_By Galaxy1001D_

_**Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi**_

_**Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu**_

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

_**Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi**_

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ _**Yosho**_

_**Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers**_

_**Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko**_

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 16: Friends Don't Let Friends Wear Red_

"First Officer's Log, Stardate 2007.99, we are in orbit around the planet that Captain Tenchi and the pirate Ryoko _should_ be stranded on." Ayeka stopped recording her log update and glanced around the bridge. "I hope the coordinates she gave us are accurate."

Washu peered through her hooded viewer. "Nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, gravity 99 percent normal, sparse vegetation, no oceans, but water collecting at the polar ice caps…"

"Never mind that," said an impatient Ayeka. "What about Captain Tenchi? Is he on that planet or what?"

"We are talking about a needle in a haystack," the short science officer retorted. "It's going to take time."

"How hard can it be?" grumbled the impatient Ayeka. "There isn't any animal life on that planet that you can see, and certainly no items of technology. If they are there, they should stand out like a supernova!"

"Aha!" smiled Washu. "I can see a campsite down there, at the bottom of a rocky canyon. I've also spotted two humanoids and one of them is wearing a gold shirt. I found 'em!"

"Excellent!" exclaimed a satisfied Ayeka. "Prepare to beam them up. Hold Ryoko in the buffer until a security team is ready…"

"Hold on, not so fast," Washu shook her head. "There are kelvinite deposits in that canyon. We can't use the transporters to lock on. All we can do is look at them from the sky."

"Humph!" grumbled Ayeka. "If it isn't one thing, it's another! Very well, we'll take a shuttle down to get them."

"Take a shuttle?" Washu eyed her superior dubiously. "Into a canyon? That's highly dangerous. Do you remember who our shuttle pilot _is_?"

Ayeka glanced fearfully at the helm station. Lieutenant Mihoshi was filing her nails and humming to herself.

"All right," agreed the first officer. "What do you suggest?"

Washu put her hand on her chin in thought. "It looks like we'll have to beam down at the closest site we can and then go and retrieve them by foot."

"Agreed," Ayeka nodded, "but Ryoko is a very dangerous criminal. We'll take phasers and at least one security expert. Kiyone, who do you recommend?"

"Master Chief Petty Officer Suvok," the teal-haired tactical officer replied, rising from her chair. "He's been there and done that. Plus, he has those psychic powers and knows those weird Vulcan martial arts like nerve pinching and such."

"An excellent choice," Ayeka nodded as she rose to her feet. "All right girls, let's get fitted for landing party duty."

"Excuse me, Commander," said a concerned Kiyone, "but who is leading the landing party?"

"Why I am, of course," sniffed Ayeka haughtily. "Who do you think?"

"With all due respect, Commander," Kiyone warily explained. "We've already lost the captain. It makes no sense to endanger the first officer too…"

"I have to rescue Tenchi!" Ayeka abruptly shrieked, causing Kiyone to jump back a step. "He's trapped on that planet with a dangerous criminal! He's being held hostage! She could be doing who knows what to him! He's in danger and I must go to him!" Ayeka collapsed to her knees and held on to the command chair for support. "Oh Tenchi…Tenchi…" she sobbed as tears trickled down her cheeks.

Washu stood up at her science station and put her hands on her hips. "I thought Tsunami said that they had resolved their conflict peacefully."

No one on the bridge paid the redhead any mind. They were all focused on the hysterics of their commanding officer who seemed to have regressed into a world all her own.

"Oh Tenchi…Tenchi…" the purple-haired first officer wept quietly. "I just wanted to make you proud of me… I've always loved you… I thought that when you got promoted to admiral and settled down we could be married…"

"Uh!" Sakuya, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kiyone simultaneously gasped. What they had suspected was true. Ayeka wasn't going power mad in Tenchi's absence. She was in love with the captain, and so sick with worry that she was losing her mind.

Finally, Kiyone found the courage to speak. "Ma'am, given your state of mind I think that I should lead the landing party and that Doctor Yosho should verify whether or not you should be…" She just couldn't finish that sentence. Could she really relieve Ayeka of command, even temporarily? Such a black mark on the first officer's record would follow her for the rest of her career, barring her from all future promotions. Could she do that to her first officer and friend?

Mihoshi's words broke the tactical officer's train of thought. "Come on, Kiyone, have some respect for Ayeka's feelings," the blonde implored.

"Why thank you, Mihoshi," sniffed Ayeka as she wiped at her eyes.

Once again Mihoshi didn't know when to stop. "You can see just by looking at her that Captain Tenchi is Ayeka's last chance to get married. She's desperately afraid of becoming an old maid…"

"What!" The crimson-eyed first officer sprung to her feet and seized the blonde helmswoman by the collar of her uniform. "Who's an old maid? That's it Mihoshi! You're coming with us! Someone always gets killed on landing party duty and this time let's hope it's you!"

"What?" exclaimed a shocked Mihoshi.

"You heard me!" Ayeka shook the taller woman by her shirt collar. "If there's a mine field that needs clearing, I'm going to send you! If there is a cave with a strange energy reading, you're going first! If there is a rock monster, you are going to take point! Do you understand me?" Ayeka released Mihoshi by flinging her to the ground.

"I don't want to die-eeee!" The teary-eyed Mihoshi was on her knees and clasped her hands together in a pleading motion.

"Then you better have your head on straight this time!" Ayeka put her hands on her hips imperiously. "For your sake I hope you pull your empty blonde head out of wherever you put it and pay attention to what's going on for once! Honestly!"

Mihoshi cringed and cried into her clenched fists.

Against her better judgment, Kiyone knelt down on one knee and patted the sobbing helmswoman's shoulder. "There there, Mihoshi," the tantalizing tactical officer reassured her in a soothing voice, "I'm sure she didn't mean it. Everyone has to get experience on landing party duty if they want to get promoted."

"I don't want to get eaten by the monster!" Mihoshi shrieked as tears streamed out of her eyes in two little waterfalls.

"We don't even know if there is a monster," Kiyone assured her gently. "From the looks of things, the most we have to worry about is the pirate Ryoko and the rocky terrain."

The hysterical helmswoman pulled herself together. "(sniff, sniff) Okay Kiyone."

"Ahem," Ayeka's voice caused the two women to look up. "If you are done holding Mihoshi's hand, can we get to the transporter room _now_?

Ten minutes later Ayeka, Washu, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Suvok materialized on a cliff overlooking a deep canyon. Tricorders, phaser pistols, and communicators were strapped to their belts.

Ayeka pulled out her communicator and flipped it open. "Ayeka to _Pioneer_, we're down and safe."

"Hey!" Kiyone spoke up. "If we're down here, who did you leave in charge of the ship?"

"Don't worry," said Ayeka. "I wasn't foolish enough to leave Ensign Whiskers in charge," she threw a venomous glance at Mihoshi, "I left someone with more seniority at the conn."

"Doctor Yosho?" the tactical officer asked warily.

"Why not?" Ayeka retorted. "He's been in the service longer than most of us have been alive. He's the only other lieutenant commander on the ship. It will do the _Pioneer _good to have someone with some experience in charge."

"But he's so old…" Kiyone muttered.

On the bridge of the _Pioneer_, Yosho snored loudly in the captain's chair while Whiskers played with a ball of yarn.

Back on the planet Washu started a conversation with Mr. Suvok.

"Hey you look familiar," said the short science officer. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before? That eye-patch looks familiar."

"You probably remember me from the fourth episode in the original animated version of _Tenchi Muyo_," the one-eyed Vulcan responded. "It was called _Mihoshi Falls to the Land of Stars_. It introduced Mihoshi, the Galaxy Police and Kagato the villain for the first time."

"Oh yeah," Washu nodded. "I wasn't in that one, but I remember your part. You led the GP in the battle against Kagato's ship _Soja_. As I recall, you got killed in the first sixty seconds of the episode."

"That's right," Suvok chuckled self-consciously in a decidedly un-Vulcan way. "But I hope to have a bigger part this time around."

"If that's the case, you shouldn't have worn a red shirt," Washu stated flatly.

"What?" Suvok glanced down at his uniform in horror. Indeed, as the Pioneer's most senior enlisted security specialist, he was wearing a red sweater. "Oh no!"

"Oops!" While admiring the view from the top of the cliff, Mihoshi slipped on a banana peel and careened head along into Suvok. The monocular Vulcan lost his balance and tumbled off the cliff screaming in a way not befitting of Vulcans. Mihoshi crouched on her knees and held her fists to her mouth in horror. "Oh my! I'm sorry!"

"Mihoshi! You idiot!" Ayeka snapped. She pulled out her communicator. "Ayeka to _Pioneer_! Beam Mr. Suvok directly to sick bay now!"

Washu shook her head sadly. "Friends don't let friends wear red."

_Next: Throwdown!_


	17. Throwdown

**Tenchi Trek **

_By Galaxy1001D_

**_Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi_ **

**_Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu_ **

_**Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka **_

_**Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami **_

**_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi_ **

_**Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone **_

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ **_Yosho_ **

**_Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers_ **

**_Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko_ **

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 17: Throwdown _

The sun rose on the deserted planet that Tenchi and Ryoko were stranded on. Thanks to Tsunami, the duo didn't have to worry about food or water while awaiting rescue.

Ever since Tsunami had announced that help was on the way, Tenchi had attempted to keep a healthy emotional distance from the space pirate. After isolating herself from the universe for so long, Ryoko seemed to be making up for it by being an incredibly touchy-feely woman. She needed love and affection badly, yet to take sexually advantage of her at this time could destroy her ability to trust irrevocably. The mischievous space pirate was apparently a lonely and fragile person, and taking advantage of her would be the same as a psychiatrist taking advantage of his patient. He couldn't trust his heart, not one hundred percent of the time, because half the time it seemed that his heart was controlled a part of his anatomy that was much lower down. The balancing act of giving her the affection that a father would give and not what a lover would provide was hard to do, especially given the fact that he was physically younger than the mercurial woman and the kiss they had shared last night had crossed a boundary he had never intended to cross.

Ryoko had flirted nonstop with him after Tsunami had disappeared, offering to share her sleeping bag, suggesting that they put their two tents together to make one larger shelter, etc. Tenchi suspected that she was actually alarmed with the prospect of rescue. He couldn't blame her. The _Pioneer_ would come to take him away from her, and she would be taken to a psychiatric penal colony where she would have to learn trust and cooperation all over again.

The more adamant her suggestions became, the more he congratulated himself on his course of action. Without the comforting oblivion of alcohol, she was terrified of being alone again after earning his affection and acceptance. He finally convinced her to move her sleeping bag next to his so that she could feel his presence nearby as they slept under the stars.

He awoke to the light of the sun reflecting off the walls of the canyon to see her face smiling back at him. Had she slept at all last night? He hoped she did, because a sleep-deprived woman can be just as loopy as one that has drank too much.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she grinned. "Ready for some breakfast?"

"Er, I'm ready for some privacy," he muttered. When her face fell, he quickly added, "No offense, but I've got to answer nature's call."

"What?" Ryoko glanced to the side. "I didn't hear anything…"

"Er, I've got to use the latrine," he blushed as he sat up and wriggled out of his sleeping bag.

"Oh, ya gotta go!" Ryoko exclaimed as it hit her. "I wondered why they put toilet paper in the MRE's. I thought they were for napkins or something."

He looked her in the eye. Was she making fun of him? Did she not have to go to the bathroom like he did? Perhaps whatever subatomic process converted food and alcohol into the energy she used to fly and shoot energy bolts consumed all solid matter and left no waste products. If she was _that_ different from everyone, no wonder she felt alienated.

After answering nature's call, he returned to wash his hands and share another Meal Ready to Eat with his quirky companion. Fortunately the meals were self-heating, so breakfast wasn't that bad. The canyon walls kept the sun off until the very middle of the day so the morning was a little cool and a hot meal really hit the spot.

"Hey Tenchi," said Ryoko as they finished their meal together. "I've been thinking. I could be in prison a long time and a starship captain's missions can be kind of dangerous…"

"And?" Tenchi forced himself to smile but he did not like where the conversation was heading.

"And I think that it would be unrealistic for me to expect you to wait for me while I'm in the big house," said Ryoko. "I mean _anything_ could happen. I could be brainwashed and be a totally different person when I got out, you could be in an accident and be confined to a hoverchair, _anything_ could happen!

"Um," the young captain's mind raced to find some way to sidetrack this conversation without making things worse.

"We don't know what tomorrow will bring so we should just seize the moment right now!" Ryoko gushed. She threw her arms around him and started pressing him to the ground with her body. "We could just run away together! Wouldn't that be wonderful? We could just run away! Run away! We could find a planet to begin our lives again and no one would be the wiser, whatta ya say?"

"Ryoko!" Tenchi pushed the woman off him. "What are you talking about? We agreed that you would give yourself up, didn't we?"

"Oh that was _yesterday_," Ryoko grinned with innocent mischief. "I've been thinking about it and I think that it just won't work. Anyway, we've already passed the point of no return."

"What are you talking about?" Tenchi repeated. "Point of no return? We only shared one kiss!"

"The first kiss of many, Sweetie!" Ryoko actually tackled him this time. "Isn't it wonderful? We'll be able to build a whole new life together! Let's celebrate right now!"

"What? Hey!" Tenchi's hands reached down to grab her wrists. The chaotic woman was actually trying to undo his belt! It didn't take a genius to figure out how Ryoko wanted to celebrate. "What are you doing? Are you crazy?" It was no use. His teenage form lacked the upper body strength that he enjoyed as a man in his forties just one year ago. Who was he kidding? Ryoko was so strong it probably wouldn't make much of a difference.

"C'mon Tenchi! Run away with me! Live for the moment!" the pirate teased. "You said that you hide in your uniform like it's a suit of armor! I'm gonna free you from that uniform whether you like it or not!"

"No!" Panic made Tenchi struggle as hard as he could. "Stop it! Let me go!"

"C'mon," Ryoko cooed. "Just give yourself up to the moment and live a little!"

"Unhand him you beast!" a female voice called out.

"What?" Ryoko and Tenchi looked over her shoulder to see Ayeka in a firing stance with a phaser pistol pointed at the pirate. "What are you doing here?" the pirate demanded.

"I'm here to rescue Captain Tenchi!" Ayeka announced. "We have you surrounded, Ryoko! Give yourself up!"

"We?" Ryoko gasped. Tenchi and the pirate looked around. Kiyone was on their left, Mihoshi was on their right, and Washu was on the side opposite Ayeka. Each held their phaser pistols with both hands and pointed them at Ryoko and Tenchi's direction. "Oh," Ryoko sighed, but then her face got devilish. "'Give yourself up,' hmm? Wasn't I just saying that to your captain?"

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Mihoshi. "We got here just in time! She was about to kill poor Captain Tenchi!"

"I don't think she going to _kill_ him," said Kiyone wryly.

An embarrassed Tenchi quickly zipped his pants and buckled his belt.

"I wasn't going to hurt him, just f--- him up a bit!" smiled Ryoko as she got off him, grinned stupidly and scratched the back of her head.

"Oh!" growled Ayeka. "You are so vulgar! You aren't even embarrassed! I'd be ashamed if I was acting like you!"

"You _should_ be ashamed, Commander," Ryoko taunted. "With a face like yours, I'd be ashamed to show it in public!"

"You!" Ayeka rose her phaser up. "Get away from my Tenchi right now, or I'll fire! I won't set it for stun either!"

"Now wait a minute!" Tenchi shouted as he leapt to his feet and stepped in front of Ryoko to protect her from Ayeka. "Ryoko has promised to turn herself in…"

"Get out of the way, Tenchi!" cried a frightened Ayeka, but it was too late. Ryoko pushed Tenchi towards his first officer with her preternatural strength. The hapless boy staggered forward at running speed and tumbled into Ayeka sending them both to the ground. Ayeka's phaser flew thought the air and clattered out of sight. With an impossible backflip, Ryoko hurled herself into the air and positioned herself right behind Washu as she seized the short science officer by the shoulders.

"Hey!" Washu yelped.

"I've got her!" Mihoshi called out. "Phaser on stun!" Before Washu could say anything Mihoshi shot a pulse of energy out of her phaser and hit green-eyed science officer on the side of the head. Fortunately, the weapon was on a minor stun setting, but Washu groaned and collapsed on the ground as Ryoko released her. "Oops! I'm sorry!" the ditzy helmswoman exclaimed. "I'll do better next time!"

"No Mihoshi!" Kiyone shouted, waving her hands in the air. "Stand down! Stand down!"

"You who!" Ryoko jumped right in front of Kiyone and waved her arms and winked at the clumsy blonde. "Here I am! You better do something before I hurt your tactical officer!"

Mihoshi's gentle face became a mask of grim determination. "You won't do a thing! I've got you right in my sights! Take that, Ryoko!" Sure enough, the blonde fired just as Ryoko rolled to the side and the bolt hit the teal-haired tactical officer in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. "Oh! Kiyone! I'm so sorry!" Mihoshi tearfully dropped her pistol and dashed to Kiyone's side. "Speak to me will you, Kiyone?"

As Mihoshi put her hands behind Kiyone's head and back to bring her friend to a sitting position, the teal-haired tactical officer's eyes seemed to spin inside their sockets as her mouth opened and closed without making any noise. Finally Kiyone managed to gasp out: "Mihoshi…you…idiot…"

Ayeka pushed Tenchi off of her and rolled to her feet. Not seeing her phaser pistol, she grabbed the first weapon she laid eyes on: the Vulcan pole axe that Tsunami had provided Tenchi to use against Ryoko yesterday. With a scream of anger Ayeka dashed towards the pirate swinging the axe like she was hitting home runs.

"You who!" taunted Ryoko winking cheekily and slapping her rump with her palm. "Here I am! Here's the pirate! Come and get me if you can!"

"I'm going to destroy you!" Ayeka shrieked with a fury that Tenchi had never heard before. "I'm going to destroy you in the name of galactic peace!"

"That's right," muttered Ryoko dryly. "Attack in the name of peace…" She dodged and jumped out of the way of Ayeka's attacks. She jumped behind Mihoshi, who screamed and ducked as Ayeka swung to attack the space pirate. Flying backwards the beautiful buccaneer managed to put some distance between herself and the irate Ayeka. "Now it's _my _turn." The cyan-haired woman smiled evilly and reddish orange energy collected in her hands. Spinning like a discus thrower, the pirate hurled a projectile of plasma in the Jurain's direction. "Take that!"

"That won't hurt me!" Ayeka challenged, knocking the bolt aside with the Vulcan _lirpa_. Unbeknownst to Ryoko, Ayeka had mastered the Jurian discipline of Roste-not-mie.

"Oh yeah?" Ryoko growled. "Well try this then!" Before the startled eyes of the Starfleet officers, the pirate crouched before a boulder the size of a coffin and picked it up over her head. "Prepare to be squashed flat, Princess!"

"Ulp!" gasped Ayeka. The incredible display of strength had knocked the wind out of her sails.

"Ha ha ha! Not so brave now, are you, Cupcake?" taunted the risqué robber. "Now your gonna find out why everyone is afraid of the dread pirate Ryoko!"

"Now wait!" Tenchi jumped in front of his first officer. "Don't hurt her, Ryoko!"

"Tenchi, get out of the way," snapped an irritated Ryoko. "I'm just going to scare her, but I don't want you to get—" At that moment, Ryoko stepped on Ayeka's missing phaser. It shot out from under her foot and clattered on the uneven ground as Ryoko cried out and fell to the ground dropping the small boulder on her head in the process. "Ahhh! Ugh!" The rock bounced off her skull and tumbled away.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted as he rushed to her side. "Speak to me!" He held her in his arms and cradled her head. "Poor Ryoko, you were such a good person. Well, not really…"

"Don't trust that first officer…" muttered an incoherent Ryoko. "She's got evil red eyezzz…" Her eyelids fluttered and she lost consciousness.

"Poor thing," said Mihoshi, "I hope she's all right."

"She looks so peaceful when she's asleep," Tenchi mused. "So darling."

"You can hardly tell that she's evil at all." Mihoshi agreed.

_Next: Dinner With Ayeka _


	18. Dinner With Ayeka

**Tenchi Trek **

_By Galaxy1001D_

**_Starring Tenchi Masaki as Captain James Jean-Luc Tenchi_ **

**_Washu Hakubi as Science Officer Washu_ **

**_Ayeka Masaki Jurai as Lt. Commander Lydia Ayeka _ **

**_Sasami Masaki Jurai as Midshipman Sherry Lynn Sasami _ **

**_Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Lt. Barbie Mihoshi_ **

**_Kiyone Makibi as Tactical Officer Cassandra Kiyone _ **

_**Katsuhito Masaki as Doctor Katsuhito**_ **_Yosho_ **

**_Ryo-oh-ki as Ensign Whiskers_ **

**_Special Guest Star Ryoko Hakubi as the Space Pirate Ryoko_ **

_Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Star Trek and all related material are © Paramount Studios. Barbie is owned by Mattel. This story has been written solely for entertainment. The views expressed herein do not necessarily express the opinions of AIC/Pioneer, the author, or this website._

_Based on "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry_

_And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima_

_Chapter 18: Dinner With Ayeka_

"Captain's log, Stardate 2008. We are in orbit around Starbase Twelve."

The starship _Pioneer_ orbited placidly above the greenish blue planet. From the exterior there was no sign that the ship had been in combat. On the bridge, life was getting back to normal. Ayeka was sitting at the command chair going over a report on a clipboard shaped gadget called a Personal Access Display Device, or PADD for short. Mihoshi and Sasami were at helm and tactical, playing with Barbie dolls. Ensign Whiskers was eating a carrot at the communications console. Washu was running a diagnostic at Sciences. Ensign Haruna was at the engineering controls doing pretty much the same thing. Yeoman Sakuya was standing by Ayeka's side, patiently waiting for the first officer to sign and authorize the report.

The doors to the bridge hissed open and Lieutenant Kiyone and Doctor Yosho entered. "I'm happy to announce that Kiyone is fit for duty," said the smiling medical officer. He was once again in his civilian white medical robes and had pinned his severed ponytail to the back of his head. His hair was still short and his sideburns were still in the Starfleet triangular cut, however.

"I thought that Mihoshi had only stunned both of us," said Washu, putting her hands on her hips and tapping her foot.

"She did," said an irritated Kiyone, "but the floor of that canyon was solid rock and I sprained my wrist when she shot me!"

"Oh well," said a cheery Mihoshi, "at least no one was seriously hurt and we got the bad guy." She and Sasami hastily put their dolls under their consoles and got back to work. "You know, Sasami, when I was your age it would take days to recover from a sprain like that…"

"No one got hurt?" sneered Kiyone. "What about Master Chief Suvok?"

"Oh!" gasped Sasami and Mihoshi.

"Poor Mr. Suvok!" whined the blue-haired cadet.

Yosho cleared his throat to get their attention. "Well, he's still in critical condition, but I expect a full recovery. Never underestimate the recuperative powers of a stubborn Vulcan."

"It's just a good thing that I managed to beam him up before he reached the bottom of the canyon," said Sasami.

"See, Kiyone?" smiled the cheerful helmswoman. "Everything's going to be okay!"

"Are you alright, Ayeka?" asked a concerned Sasami.

Ayeka signed the clipboard and handed it to Sakuya, who quietly nodded and headed to the elevator.

"I'm alright, Sasami," the purple-haired first officer assured her. "It's just that I'm a little embarrassed about my behavior yesterday. I can't believe that I was wearing an antique Terran army helmet. I must have been acting mighty strange."

"It's okay," Kiyone assured her. "The captain was abducted. It was an emergency situation. The crew needed to be knocked into shape."

"Yes!" smiled Mihoshi. "Thanks to you, yesterday was the first time I managed to field strip a phaser rifle and put it back together without hurting myself!"

"See?" said Kiyone. "Everything worked out fine."

"Thank you," Ayeka blushed. "You are all too kind. Still, I think that you all deserve a reward for putting up with me. Perhaps I can talk Tenchi into giving you all extra liberty when we finish our patrol."

"Yay!" the girls on the bridge cheered.

"You're the best, Ayeka!" exclaimed Sasami.

"And so are all of you," murmured a blushing first officer.

On the surface of the planet, far below the _Pioneer_, a major Starfleet base the size of a small town was going about its normal business.

In a holding cell, the dread pirate Ryoko was greeted by a visitor.

"How are you doing?" Captain Tenchi asked from the other side of the invisible forcefield.

"Okay, I guess," Ryoko sighed. "The doctors gave me a clean bill of health. I don't have concussion or anything, but they've cut down my food intake. They've discovered that I use the extra energy for more than just healing."

"If it makes a difference, I put it in my official report that you gave yourself up willingly," Tenchi said kindly.

"That's sweet of you," Ryoko nodded, "but how did you get your first officer not to blab?"

"I promised her a romantic dinner in my cabin," Tenchi blushed.

"Oh you!" she giggled. Ryoko's attempt to hug him was thwarted by the forcefield in the archway before them. It made a buzzing sound and a transparent wall of energy became visible momentarily before vanishing again. "Oh," the pirate sighed, then she perked up again. "You really are something," she winked. "Using your wiles to protect me!"

"It's nothing really," said a blushing Tenchi. "She's been so devoted to me, I owe her a lot more than just dinner."

"Now don't get me jealous," Ryoko teased. "I have a nasty feeling that you won't be waiting until I get out."

"You haven't been that good at keeping _your_ promises either," Tenchi pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," the pirate crossed her arms and sighed again. "Still, I expect the integrity of a Federation starship captain to be better than a space pirate's."

"You got me there," Tenchi nodded, "but we really don't know what the future will bring. When you get out, you shouldn't need me anymore. As for me, you've taught me that I can't live for tomorrow; I've got to live for today as well."

"I was afraid of that," Ryoko huffed. "I've loosened you up just for some other woman to snatch you up. So Commander Ayeka gets first crack at you, huh? You must like long shots."

"I like you, don't I?" Tenchi pulled on his collar nervously.

"That's more like it!" Ryoko teased. "You better be careful, or I might just escape and come and get you!"

"Now, Ryoko," Tenchi scolded. "I put in my official report that I convinced you to give yourself up and stop running. I've even found a judge who should go easy on you. Don't wreck a good thing or you'll spend the rest of your life on the run."

"You're right," Ryoko sighed in defeat, "but couldn't you wait for me just a little bit? It would help my therapy if I knew I had a friend on the outside."

"You have a friend on the outside," he assured her.

"Will I ever see you again?" she asked with a tear in her golden eye.

"Count on it," he nodded. "We are postponing our deep space mission until after I testify at your trial. Until then, the _Pioneer_ is going to patrol the Klingon border. See you in two weeks." He smiled, waved and left.

"Goodbye," Ryoko waved sadly. "Ah me," she sighed. "Too bad I can't walk through forcefields." She touched the invisible barrier with her forefinger causing it to buzz once more and flare into semivisibility. She sighed again and leaned against the wall of her cell with one arm. "Hmm," Ryoko concentrated and pushed her hand through the wall. "Heh-heh-heh," she smirked evilly.

Later that day, the starship _Pioneer_ soared through space at Warp 6. In Tenchi's quarters on deck five, a candlelight dinner was taking place.

Lydia Ayeka was dressed in a strapless black dress with an ankle-length skirt and long white opera gloves. Her purple hair was secured in a bun by a gold chain a cheerful pink ribbon. A black tie with a red jewel that matched her crimson eyes tastefully covered her neck. Gold and turquoise earrings dangled from her ears and her face's natural beauty was accented with ruby red lipstick and just a little makeup. Her waist was bound by a gold and ivory belt and a dark blue sash that extended down to the hem of her skirt. White stockings concealed her ankles and high-heeled black shoes with blood red bows shod her feet.

James Tenchi looked splendid in his dress uniform that consisted of a tunic and black trousers and boots. The tunic resembled a jacket with a high collar and a wide gold stripe down the front. Although epaulets had been removed from the Starfleet dress uniform the year before, Tenchi still had them on his uniform for he felt that they made his shoulders look bigger. The trousers were bloused higher than the standard duty uniform and a gold strip was visible at the exterior hem. On Tenchi's left chest was a multicolored assortment of tiny triangles those in the service nicknamed "fruit salad." When an officer or soldier was awarded a medal, a corresponding ribbon was placed on the left breast of the dress uniform. In the past, the ribbons were rectangular, but in the twenty-third century, they were triangles. Tenchi's colorful chest was a record of his outstanding career.

"Thank you for having this dinner with me, Captain Tenchi," said Ayeka shyly.

"Not at all," he replied. "It's the least that I could do after you came down and rescued me. It turns out that I needed rescuing after all."

"Tenchi," Ayeka asked nervously, "when you were on that planet, did anything…happen between you and that monster woman?"

"Nothing that I would be ashamed of," Tenchi chuckled self-consciously. When he saw that his flippant reply did nothing to assuage his first officer's worries, he added, "Seriously. Nothing happened. We talked, and that was it. You showed up when she wanted more. To be honest, I feel sorry for her."

"You always were a soft touch," Ayeka attempted to act irritated, but couldn't hide her smile. "That must be why you put up with Mihoshi, and Ensign Whiskers…and me."

"Belay that, Commander," Tenchi admonished gently. "This ship would fall apart without you. I'm glad that you managed to whip the troops into shape while I was gone. You're right. I'm too lenient. You have to be extra hard on them to make up for it."

"Well, that's part of the first officer's job," smiled Ayeka shyly.

"Nobody does it better than you," Tenchi admitted. "That's one of the reasons I selected you to be my first officer. I knew that your strengths could make up for my weaknesses."

"A kind heart isn't necessarily weakness," Ayeka cooed quietly.

"No, but putting blinders on certainly is," Tenchi grinned. "You do so much for me, and I've been afraid to acknowledge it. No one is as devoted to me as you are. No one has made the sacrifices that you have. If there is one thing that I've learned by being marooned on a planet with a space pirate it's that I'm too cautious. Ever since my transporter accident, I've been afraid to take chances, especially with my personal life. Well, I'm not helping the _Pioneer_ by being timid. It's time that I follow my heart and not worry about the consequences."

"Why captain," Ayeka blushed and put one of her gloved hands to her chest. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean it's time that I let you know how I really feel," Tenchi pulled on his collar nervously, then glanced down at his plate. "I've always been fond of you Ayeka, maybe a little too fond. Last year, I was way too old for you…" He put his hand to his chin and glanced up at the ceiling. "Of course, now, the situation seems to be reversed…" He gathered his courage and met her gaze. " I know that a shipboard romance is an awful risk, but still…I'm willing to try if you are. I know that you're infatuated with me, and I feel the same about you. The question is: Should we try to take our relationship beyond friendship?"

Ayeka's eyes glistened in the candlelight and her voice was as quiet and as high-pitched as a flute. "Why James…why Tenchi…I never knew you felt this way…I…I…"

"Hello!" came a familiar voice. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything!"

Both Tenchi and Ayeka stared in horror at the apparition that phased halfway through the door. "Ryoko!" they chorused. "It can't be!"

Sure enough, a smiling Ryoko entered the room by walking through the shut door like a ghost, waving cheekily at the two officers.

"Hi there," said the grinning space pirate. "I was sitting in my cell, and I got this really great idea! I couldn't wait to share it with you guys, so here I am."

"Ryoko!" Tenchi yowled. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm calling security!" exclaimed an indignant Ayeka. "Then we are going to turn this ship around and return you to a cell where you belong."

"Oh yeah," said Ryoko. "Maybe I better discuss this with your captain first." Without warning, the pirate seized the front of Ayeka's gown, threatening to pull her out of her clothing. "You wait out in the hall, will you?"

"Hey wait!" the purple-haired first officer shrieked, but it was no use. Where Ayeka's dress was pulled, the first officer was forced to follow. "Unhand me! I'll see you hung on the highest yardarm on Titan for this!" Her hands grabbed Ryoko's arm in a vain attempt to keep her from ripping her expensive dress and exposing her naked chest to the youthful captain.

"Buh-bye," the cyan-haired space pirate pushed Ayeka through the door and the first officer phased through the solid duranium door as if it wasn't there. With one arm still phased through the door, Ryoko hit the locking mechanism.

"What are you doing?" Tenchi demanded. "You know that she's just going to get security and come right back!"

"I figure that she'll make a pit stop at her quarters first," Ryoko winked. She tugged hard with her insubstantial arm and brought it through with a loud tearing sound.

"Wha?" Tenchi gasped.

"There we go," smiled Ryoko. "That should buy us a little time." In Ryoko's hand were the torn remains of Ayeka's little black dress! Ayeka must be nearly naked outside. Tenchi imagined that he could hear his first officer screaming.

The captain got up and strode over to the intercom on the wall. "Captain Tenchi to the bridge! Turn this ship around and head back to Starbase Twelve on the double!"

"Okey-dokey, Captain," came Mihoshi's cheerful reply.

"That's okay, capo, it all fits in with my plan," smiled an excited Ryoko. "I thought that maybe you could be my parole officer! You could take me on your deep space mission and I wouldn't be anywhere near a civilized system. I get to be with you, and a dangerous space pirate is off the streets! It's a win-win scenario! Whattayuh say?"

"I say that you're crazy if you think that any judge is going to agree to that," Tenchi retorted. "You're going to get yourself in big trouble and you'll take me with you! Besides, there's no room for an extra cast member!"

"Don't be ridiculous," the pirate waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Chekov joined the original series during their second season. Worf joined _Deep Space Nine_ during season four. That top-heavy borg woman joined _Voyager_ during their fourth season too." She put her hand to her chin and smiled. "Yeah…I'm just like Seven of Nine…I'm here to boost ratings by adding some sex appeal, that's right…"

Tenchi cursed himself for breaking character like that, then blinked in confusion. "Hey, wait a minute. How did you get out of that cell in the first place? It had a forcefield."

"It turns out that it only had a force field on the door, not the wall," Ryoko winked and waggled her forefinger. "Don't worry! It's all part of my plan! When the authorities discover that they can't hold me, they'll have no choice but to appoint you as my jailer! It's the only way to make sure that I serve my sentence and don't try to escape!"

Tenchi was horrified. "Are you nuts? Each prison break will add to your sentence! You'll be put away for life!"

"A life sentence with you holding the keys," Ryoko clasped her hands and got a dreamy look on her face. "Won't that be great? We'll be able to spend lots of time together!" She leaned in close to him. "You're happy aren't you?"

"Ecstatic," Tenchi growled sarcastically. Then his bravado faded. "Seriously. You aren't going to keep escaping and stowing away on my ship, are you?"

"Why sure, if you want me to," Ryoko shyly winked.

"Now wait a minute!" But his exclamation was silenced when Ryoko put a finger to his lips. "Wha?" he looked into her eyes.

"No need for discussions," she said sweetly.

"Oh no," the captain muttered as she giggled girlishly and blew him a kiss.

The end titles of the show displayed across the television as the sun rose on the Masaki household.

Ryoko sneered down at the slumbering Mihoshi curled up on the couch. "I can't believe that bubblehead stayed up all night watching _Star Trek_," she muttered to herself. "Well this should wake her up." She held a glass of water over the sleeping blonde's head.

At that moment, the snoozing woman murmured, "Isn't it great, Kiyone? Ryoko gets to stay with us…"

"Oh well," thought Ryoko as she sipped her water. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to let her sleep."

END


	19. Special Features and Author's Notes

Washu: And now, because you demanded it—the author's notes! 

Ryoko: What are you talking about? No body "demanded it," the author just likes to hear himself talk!

Washu: Nonsense! Just like the "Bonus Features" on DVD special additions, _Tenchi Trek_ now gives you "The making of" and the author's commentary. Now you can discover where the author got his ideas, how the author created the story, and what got used and what got cut! Aspiring writers out there can see the process of creation and be inspired to try their hand at constructing a tale of their own to post on line! Who knows, maybe someone out there will be the next J.K. Rowling!

Ryoko: No offense, Washu, but I find the "Bonus Features" on DVD's snoreville and they break the suspension of disbelief. They destroy the mood by showing that "the creators weren't that original, they just did this," or something like that. It's kind of anticlimactic after the story is over and doesn't really cut it.

Washu: Stop looking at the glass as if it's half-empty! Lots of people want to see what was going on in the author's head while he was writing.

Ryoko: (sarcastically) Yeah, lots of people want to hear some loser talk about how brilliant he is while showing us that he doesn't have a single original bone in his body.

Washu: Even William Shakespeare wrote remakes! According to Aristotle, there are only eight stories, anyway! You are always so mean to our fanfiction writers! No wonder we don't have very many writers out there!

Ryoko: So what? Fanfiction pays chicken feed compared to cartoons and manga comics.

Washu: Have you noticed any new _Tenchi Muyo_ cartoons or comic books released out there lately?

(award pause)

Ryoko: (forced cheeriness) Hey everyone! Guess what? If you enjoyed all eighteen chapters of Tenchi Trek, I'll bet you will love to read the author's notes!

Washu: That's the spirit!

Author's Notes:

Thanks for your support and encouragement everyone. I hate to end it too, but this was the ending that I envisioned from the very beginning. The point of the story was to see if I could write a _Star Trek_ parody with only the cast from _Tenchi Muyo_. It was a bigger challenge than I thought, for the department heads still needed enlisted crewmen to order around. I was forced to dig into _Tenchi in Tokyo_, and _Tenchi Forever_ to round out the cast, but at least I didn't have to raid _Pretty Sammy_ or the _GXP _series.

I wrote this story with idea of it being the first episode of _Star Trek: Pioneer_'s second season. Captain Tenchi was supposed to have his transporter accident at the beginning of the pilot and that's why a teenager is in charge of a starship. Since Ryoko is one of my favorite characters, I decided that the episode that Mihoshi dreams of would be the one where Ryoko joins the cast, just like Chekov, Worf, and Seven of Nine joined late in the other ST series.

The Cast:

From the beginning I decided not to have the characters imitate any official Star Trek character whether they be Kirk, Spock, or Worf. The point of this story was to see how the Tenchi characters would fill the positions of a Federation starship, not to see how well I could write for Kirk or Picard trapped in Tenchi's body. Still, I noticed that Tenchi is a bit of "stuffed shirt" like Picard was, and that is probably why so many readers thought that he was supposed to directly imitate him. Likewise I bandied terms from both the original series and the Next Generation interchangeably. I figured that different captains and different ships would favor some of Star Fleet's military terminology more than others. Both Captain Pike and Captain Picard called their first officers "Number One" and used the order "Engage". Since Tenchi was supposed to be every captain (especially Kirk and Picard) I gave him the first names of the first two captains of the Federation starship _Enterprise_, "James" and "Jean-Luc". For Tenchi to have names from three different nationalities would make him represent "every Earthman" and help explain why he didn't recognize Ryoko as a girl's name that is relatively common in Japan.

Speaking of names, the spellings of all the Tenchi characters names I use are the ones I read in the _Tenchi Muyo_ manga by Hitoshi Okuda and published by Viz/Pioneer, despite the fact that later information has revealed that they are incorrect. The first princess of Jurai in my stories is called Ayeka, not Aeka. Kiyone's last name in my story is Makibi, not Mabi. Oops.

Washu is perfect as the science officer; since that is often the role she plays on _Tenchi Universe_. She is the one who knows the most obscure stuff, and is often the unofficial first officer despite the fact that she is fourth in command. Like Spock, Data, Quark, and Tuvok, she has only one name. The rest of the alien girls apparently have a human ancestor since they all have American sounding first names.

I had originally intended for Katsuhito to play the part of the incredibly powerful superbeing, but I needed a medical officer, so I made him the "old country doctor." His "civilian medical robes" was simply an excuse for him to look exactly as he does in the cartoon without having to wear a uniform. Dianna Troi got away with civilian clothing for five seasons, why not old Doc Yosho? Yosho is the name that Katsuhito went by on Jurai in the OAV, the first TV series, and all three _Tenchi_ movies.

I originally hadn't intended to give Sasami a large part, but when it became clear that I needed more minor crewmen, I decided to make her a regular cast member. Like Chief O'Brien from TNG and DS9, Midshipman Sasami, the "plucky young space cadet" may be the main transporter operator, but she wears a lot of hats and fills in wherever necessary. The midshipman's first and middle name was borrowed from Sherry Lynn, the voice of Sasami, Tsunami, and Kiyone for English speaking audiences. I should have named all my officers after the people who do the voices.

Kiyone was a no-brainer as the tactical officer. As the tough, gun toting galaxy police officer in _Tenchi Universe_, she seemed overqualified to fill the position.

Mihoshi was the chief helmswoman because it would give her excuses to crash the ship and the shuttle for quick and easy laughs. Her first name is Barbie after the blonde, blue-eyed doll from Mattel.

Ayeka was a cinch as the first officer. Like Kiyone, she is relatively bossy. Just as she was in the _Mihoshi Galaxy Police Special_, she is the heir to the Jurai plutocrats rather than the first princess of Jurai. I made her a lieutenant commander instead of a commander to explain why someone so young and pretty could have the position.

That left me with the problem of explaining why the captain was a teenage boy. The problem was solved by assuming that Captain Tenchi had a transporter accident during the "pilot episode," just as Picard, Guinan, Ro, and Keiko O'Brien did in ST:TNG's sixth season episode "Rascals". This also explains why Tenchi acts like an adult despite the fact that he is a teenager (something they never explained in the cartoons). Tenchi was always intended to fill the role of the captain. The entire point of the story was for Tenchi to be the straight man while being stuck with babysitting a quirky and only semi competent crew. As Ayeka was fond of pointing out, he was too kind hearted to discipline them properly, so things often get out of hand.

Ryo-oh-ki's adult form appeared in the ninth episode of the OAV's and the first issue of the Manga, "The All-New Tenchi Muyo." I thought that it would be funny to have the character that couldn't talk in charge of communications. In episode thirteen of _Tenchi Universe_, Mihoshi suggests that "Whiskers" would be a better name for a cat than Ryo-oh-ki. Hence, on _Star Trek: Pioneer_, Ryo-oh-ki plays the role of Ensign Whiskers.

Nobuyuki was always intended to be the captain of the freighter from the beginning.

Sakuya, Tenchi's girlfriend from _Tenchi In Tokyo _was cast as the captain's yeoman in Chapter Eight, "Run Ryoko Run." Although intended as a cameo appearance, she filled in as a minor crewmember in later chapters.

Haruna, the ghost girl from _Tenchi Forever_, appeared in the same chapter. She was also meant to only be seen once, but I couldn't resist adding her to later chapters, particularly chapter thirteen, "Shipshape", where she is the unlucky officer that Ayeka makes an example of. Her first name, "Camille," was mentioned in _Tenchi Forever_.

Master Chief Suvok was based on the nameless Galaxy Police officer that died in the first minute of the fourth episode of the OAV, _Mihoshi Falls to the Land of Stars_. He looked like a one-eyed Spock, so his inclusion in a _Tenchi Muyo Star Trek _story is a no-brainer. Since he is one of the few characters that we see die in the series, he got the role of the "redshirt" that always seemed to die in the original series. Like a true redshirt, his role in the OAV was to show how serious the situation is and how dangerous the villain could be. Of course, his role in my story was a bit more arbitrary. At the last moment I decided to spare him, both to keep Mihoshi from getting in trouble and so the character will be available should I write a sequel and need somebody to "get it." His name is, of course, a combination of "Spock" and "Tuvok", but you probably figured that out by now. His rank is the highest rank enlisted personnel can achieve in the navy and it is also the rank of the hero from the _Halo_ video games.

After Yosho was cast as the chief medical officer, I still needed an incredibly powerful super being. Although Tokimi was available, I chose Tsunami because she was in the OAV's the manga, and the _Pretty Sammy_ series. Simply put, she has more screen time than Tokimi does, and let's face it, I like her better. Unlike the Metrons in the _Star Trek: The Original Series _first season episode, "The Arena", I decided to give Tsunami a better reason to interfere in the affairs of less developed beings than herself. In the OAV, she was the first tree in the universe, so in my story, she is the guardian of the holy trees of Druidia.

Trivia:

Throughout the story, I have hidden obscure _Tenchi Muyo_ and _Star Trek_ references. For example, hidden in every stardate but the last is a date of a _Tenchi Muyo_ release in Japan. If you decide to read this again, see how many you can find.

Deleted Scenes: 

Chapter One:

_When Washu enters the bridge with Tenchi, she has pointy ears, just like Spock. As soon as she reaches her science station, she sneezes and her false ears fall off. _

Chapter Fifteen: Shipshape

_"Ha!" Ryoko exclaimed. "You won't see me within fifty light-years of that place!" The pirate gulped self-consciously. "I mean, see you in a thousand years!" She smiled and waved in an exaggerated way. _

_Tsunami gently chuckled. "Good-bye. Don't give up trying to be more than you are…" She faded away like a ghost. "Farewell." _

_In orbit around the planet Druidia, the starship Pioneer was restored to full power. _

_On the bridge the ladies were sitting around smoking and chatting. _

_Kiyone said, "So I told my dad, 'It's my business If I want to go the beach and run around naked…'" _

_Ayeka gasped and pointed straight at the camera. "Look out everybody! The readers are back!" _

_Kiyone jerked and nearly choked on her cigarette. "What?" _

_Mihoshi put her hands to her face in alarm. "Oh no! I didn't realize that we were in this chapter!"_

Chapter Seventeen: Throwdown

_ "Where's Mr. Suvok?" Tenchi asked. _

_"He's dead, Jim," Washu responded_.

Bloopers 

1:

_Lt. Commander Ayeka, the first officer, leaned over to Lt. Kiyone, the chief tactical officer and murmured. "Whose idea was it for Ryo-oh-ki in her adult humaniod form to play the officer in charge of communications?" _

_"Give me a break," Kiyone retorted quietly. "It was the only position on the ship where she wouldn't have to stand up. You know she's still wobbly on two legs." _

_At waist level blue words appeared. _

Haruna as Ensign Camille Haruna

_"Yaah!" Ayeka screamed as she tripped over Haruna's name. "I'm all right!" The camera closed up on her embarassed but smiling face. _

2:

_"Well, what is it?" Ayeka snapped testily. "I haven't got all day!" _

_ "Meow! Meow! Meow!" futilely said the communications officer. _

_The first officer's face nearly became as purple as her hair. "Errg!" she groaned. "Get me a communications officer who's fluent in Japanese right now! _

_"Who's fluent in what?" Kiyone asked wryly. _

_"In Japanese…" Ayeka stopped suddenly and started blushing. "Oh that's right. The line was 'Get me a communications officer who's fluent in basic Star Fleet Galactic _English_ right now.' Oops. My bad. Sorry. Heh heh. Can we shoot that again?"_

3:

_"Captain on the bridge," Ayeka stood up from the command chair and snapped to attention. The other officers on the bridge stood up at their consoles too. _

_Ensign Whiskers was stuggling mightily as her knees wobbled beneath her. She meowed pitifully as she fell to her knees and clutched her comm panel for dear life. _

_"Oh, let me help you," Mihoshi left her console to assist Ryo-oh-ki's valiant struggle to stand at attention. Ryo-oh-ki grasped Mihoshi for support. "Whoa, waa…" exclaimed the blonde as the two swayed unsteadily on their feet. "Whoa!" Unable to keep their balance, the catwoman and the blonde fell to the floor. _

_"Mihoshi," Kiyone giggled from the tactical console. "W-what are you doing?" _

_The entire bridge broke out laughing as the camera zoomed in on Mihoshi's embarrased smile. _

4:

_Meanwhile, in the Pioneer's transporter room, Mihoshi discovered that transporting living matter through space was tougher than it looked. "Okay, energizing dispersal pattern, molecular imaging scanner functioning normally, phase transition coils energized…" She squinted at the control panel and her hands danced over the touch sensitive controls quickly as her speech accelerated. "Energizing um, emitter array…anal confinement beam activated, widespread dork manipulation field …" She sighed and muttered a word not fit for a story with a 'T' rating. _

5:

_In sickbay: _

_"That's impossible," Tenchi shook his head. "How does she do it?" _

_"She burns up calories like the warp drive devours deutronium," Yosho answered. "What I haven't figured out is how she can survive possessing the charge of a saurian…crap.." _

6:

_The cyan haired woman blinked and opened her eyes and sat up. "Where am I?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes. "Who are you?" _

_"I'm James Tenchi of the Pioneer and this is Doctor McCoy," the young captain replied. Suddenly the boy started laughing. "McCoy. This is Doctor Katsuhito Yosho." _

_"Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a Shinto priest!" Yosho joked with a southern accent. _

7:

_On the bridge, Ayeka stood up from her engineering station. "Captain, I suggest that we go to red alert!" _

_"We're in the middle of a space battle, Ayeka," Tenchi replied. "I think the crew knows we're in combat." _

_"None-the-less, regulations dictate that we sound general quarters and consider the ship in a red alert situation," Ayeka spoke to the captain in a rather imperious tone. _

_Suddenly things got very quiet. The camera closed on Mihoshi who was watching the viewscreen with a very serious expression on her face. When she realized she missed her cue, she silently cursed and looked at the camera. _

8:

_On the desert planet, the pirate confronted the space captain. "_You're_ the nutjob, Tenchi!" Ryoko threatened. "She left us here to kill each other or starve to death! Well I'm not going to come in second place!" She picked up the _lirpa_ and twirled it like a cheerleader's baton. "Come on Captain, time for your whuppin'!" _

_Tenchi gulped, then rolled to the ground to retrieve the second weapon and leapt back to his feet. "Now wait a…" _

_Tenchi never got a chance to finish his sentence. "Yah!" Ryoko cried as she hurled herself at him, the lirpa held over her head like a sword. She slashed down at him but he rolled to the side. "Hah!" She swung the awkward weapon from right to left and Tenchi cried out and clutched his groin as he collapsed to the ground._

_"Oh no!" Ryoko dropped her _lirpa_ and knelt at the stricken boy's side and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry! Are you all right?" _

_Tenchi could only squirm on the ground in hideous pain. _

9:

_Ayeka is wearing a dress uniform and an American World War II army helmet decorated with three gold stars. She faces the camera. _

_"We are all excited here at Wimbleton," says the purple-haired princess. "Everyone is very excited and expectations run high in the stands…" _

10:

_On the planet, Ryoko and Tenchi are hugging each other while sitting on the ground. "It looks like _I'm_ taking advantage of _you_," she snickered, and then her voice became high pitched like a child's. "C'mon Tenchi, I'm giving up my freedom. Don't I get a little love and affection before I'm restricted to scheduled conjugal visits?" _

_Tenchi turned bright red and Ryoko was afraid he'd pull away from her. "Ryoko I--" _

_She silenced him by pressing her mouth against his. Soon she started licking up and down the boy's face like a dog. _

_"Ryoko!" Tenchi giggled, "Stop that!" _

11:

_On the bridge, Ayeka sat back down, cleared her throat, and straightened her uniform. "Lieutenant Mihoshi, set course for…hey! Where is Lieutenant Mihoshi anyway?" _

_The bridge was silent aside of the sound effects from the computers and instruments in the room. After a minute, the doors to the elevator hissed open and a tall flustered blonde scrambled into the room as she tied her dripping wet hair in a ponytail. "I'm late!" Mihoshi cried. "I'm late! Oh my! I'm sorry!" _

_"Not only that, but you missed your cue!" Kiyone called out. _

12:

_"Take a shuttle?" Washu eyed her superior dubiously. "Into a canyon? That's highly dangerous. Do you remember who our shuttle pilot __is__?" _

_Ayeka glanced fearfully at the helm station. Lieutenant Mihoshi was sticking her front teeth out of her mouth and making sounds like, "Duh, doy, doy, doy!" _

_Ayeka put a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh._

13:

_On the planet's surface, Washu was talking to Mr. Suvok. _

_"If that's the case, you shouldn't have worn a red shirt," Washu stated flatly. _

_"What?" Suvok glanced down at his uniform in horror. Indeed, as the Pioneer's most senior enlisted security specialist, he was wearing a red sweater. "Oh no!" _

_"Oops!" While admiring the view from the top of the cliff, Mihoshi slipped on a banana peel and careened head along towards Suvok. She missed the one-eyed Vulcan and nearly tumbled off the cliff before the pointed eared master chief caught her. _

_"Whoops!" Mihoshi blushed. "Can we try that again?" _

_14: _

_With an impossible backflip, Ryoko hurled herself into the air and positioned herself right behind Washu as she seized the short science officer by the shoulders. _

_"Hey!" Washu yelped. _

_"I've got her!" Mihoshi called out. "Phaser on stun!" Before Washu could say anything Mihoshi shot a pulse of energy out of her phaser and hit cyan-haired space pirate in the face. Ryoko groaned and fell to the ground, releasing the carrot topped science officer from her grasp. _

_"Whoops!" giggled Washu. "You were supposed to hit _me!"

_"I can't believe it," chuckled Mihoshi. "I actually messed up, messing up!" _

15:

_"I mean it's time that I let you know how I really feel," Tenchi pulled on his collar nervously, then glanced down at his plate. "I've always been fond of you Ayeka, maybe a little too fond. Last year, I was way too old for you…" He put his hand to his chin and glanced up at the ceiling. "Of course, now, the situation seems to be reversed…" He gathered his courage and met her gaze. " I know that a shipboard romance is an awful risk, but still…I'm willing to try if you are. I know that you're infatuated with me, and I feel the same about you. The question is: Should we try to take our relationship beyond friendship?" _

_Ayeka's eyes glistened in the candlelight and her voice was as quiet and as high-pitched as a flute. "Why James…why Tenchi…I never knew you felt this way…I…I…" There was an awkward pause, and then Ayeka spoke again. "I-I don't know what to say…" Tenchi grinned stupidly and Ayeka was struggling to keep her face solemn, but the corners of her mouth kept curling upwards of their own accord. "Just give me a chance to think about it…" _

_"It's nice that this moment isn't being interrupted, isn't it?" Tenchi asked her. _

_Ryoko's voice could be heard off stage. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I miss my cue?" _

16:

_Multiple shots of various cast members running into the sliding doors when they fail to open on time._

Afterword 

Well, I hoped all of you enjoyed reading _Tenchi Trek_ as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you want a sequel write in a tell me (and give me some suggestions, too. I'm out of ideas). Don't be afraid to tell me what worked and what didn't. I've made several revisions to earlier chapters since they were first released and I probably will continue to proofread and correct my errors so don't be afraid to comment if you think it will make this story better or improve the next one.

Before I go I'd like to thank my reviewers for giving me feedback, advice and encouragement.

Remember if you don't like this story, write your own and show us all how it's done! They say everyone has a story in them. This was mine. Go out and write yours!

Hailing Frequencies Closed,

Galaxy1001D


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